


Still Jack and Daniel - Full Circle - II Showdown

by Annejackdanny



Series: Still Jack and Daniel Series 3  - Full Circle [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Dark, Kid Fic, Little Daniel - Freeform, M/M, h/c, non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-18
Updated: 2013-01-18
Packaged: 2017-11-25 22:48:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/643782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annejackdanny/pseuds/Annejackdanny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time of the battle for Earth is finally there - but nothing goes as it's supposed to be. LD goes Ancient, BD becomes Lo'taur and Jack goes ballistic...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still Jack and Daniel - Full Circle - II Showdown

**Author's Note:**

> From here on over the course of the next couple of stories we'll have major angst, torture, non-con and attempted rape - so, with this, you have been warned.

**Still Jack and Daniel**

**-**

**Full Circle**

**II**   


**Showdown**

**I**

“Wait, wait, wait!” LD flailed his arms in Jack's direction. “Something's missing!”

Jack lowered his camera and cocked his head to have a better look. “You're right. It has no hat.”

“Can it wear one of your caps?” Apparently it was a rhetorical question since Daniel was already on his way to the house without waiting for confirmation.

Jack opened his mouth to holler after him to take off his boots so he wouldn't carry all that snow inside, but it was a moot point. He'd already heard the front door slam. 

Jackson stepped back from their work of art and scowled. “I'm not sure using oranges as eyes was a good idea. It looks alien.”

Jack had to admit the oranges were a bit bulging and, well, orange. He smirked. “Congratulations, Frankenstein. You created a new species.”

Jackson gave the banana nose a gentle push to the left. “I'll christen it Fruity, the snow alien.”

“Fruity?” Jack snorted.

“Well, it has fruits as eyes and nose... So not Frosty, but Fruity,” Jackson said with a shrug.

“Creative.”

“You have a better idea?”

Jack was saved from answering by LD plowing through the snow carrying Jack's navy blue base cap. Standing on tip toes and stretching like a rubber band, he carefully put it on Fruity's head. Then he stepped back and took in the snowman just as his big counterpart had done a moment ago. However, the kid was a lot more happy with the outcome than his big counterpart. 

“Perfect,” LD said, giving them the thumb’s up.

“Excellent!” Jack waved at the two of them to take post left and right of Fruity. “Picture time!”

“Don't you have enough pictures for your photo album already?” LD groaned, but complied nevertheless. 

“Nope. Say 'cheese'.” Jack started snapping pictures of the Daniels and Fruity the snow-alien. 

It was a perfect winter wonderland day; the snow glistening in the sun, the sky a crystal clear blue... perfect for pictures, perfect for making great memories. The snowman had been number three on Daniel's new 'kid list'. It was an assignment from Svenson. Write down ten things you want to do while you're still little. The kid had moaned and muttered about it for a while, but apparently he'd sat down and given it some thought. 

Number one had been a team snowball fight. They had invited Fraiser, Cassie, Siler and Ferretti to join them and, despite the fact that Daniel had had to thaw in the hot tub and stay wrapped in a blanket by the fire all evening while sipping hot chocolate until he felt warm and cozy again, it had been a hoot and a half. 

Number two had been a trip to the Colorado Railroad museum which had been inspired by SG-1's favorite team activity – the train set. Jack assumed Daniel could still do most of what was on his list after he got re-sized. Only it wouldn't be the same then. 

Nothing would be the same then.

“Jack!” Jackson complained. “Are you done yet?”

“One more.” Jack shouted back. “Move closer together there.” 

“But just one more,” LD said as he hurried to stand next to his big self. “I'm getting cold.” 

Jackson wrapped an arm around the kid as Jack raised the camera again. The sun became even brighter; it almost seemed as though there was a beam of light surrounding the trio. And what was that noise... 

Jack dropped the camera and lunged forward, but it was too late.

The beam engulfed the Daniels into a white blinding light.

Jack stood frozen in his quiet sunny backyard, staring at the empty spot where just a second ago the Daniels and Fruity had posed for pictures.

*** 

“This is definitely not on my list of things I want to do while I'm still little,” Daniel said dryly when the door to the holding cell swished shut behind them. 

“Ba'al,” BD said as he punched the control panel by the door. It was pointless to try that and they both knew it. “The Jaffa who escorted us wore tattoo Ba'al’s tattoo.”

Ba'al... Daniel focused on facts. “He must have stolen Asgard beam technology. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to beam us up.” A sudden thought stuck him. “Do you think Ba'al is working for Anubis now? Is he his advance party?” 

BD frowned. “If he is, he's just waiting for the next best opportunity to kill Anubis and take over his fleet. They are mortal enemies. Maybe we can work with that.”

Daniel slid down the wall and sat on the floor, drawing his knees up to his body. “I wish Aiyana had warned me.” 

“She probably couldn't. You said the other Ancients are keeping a close eye on her and Oma.” BD crouched in front of him. “What do you think? What does he want?” 

“Ba'al? I don't know. Intel, I guess. About the prophecy, about what we know. What kind of defenses we have against Anubis. Stuff like that.”

“But Anubis pulled all the facts he needed from Jack when he used the mind probe on him. If Ba'al is working for him he should know all the facts. Or at least as much as Anubis was willing to share.”

Daniel nodded slowly. “Maybe Anubis wants to know more than what he found in Jack's mind. Some of the Ancient knowledge I haven't been able to access yet. But why send Ba'al? Anubis must know he can't trust him. After all, Ba'al tried to blow up his ship during the Eye of Ra mission.” 

BD stood and looked around their cell as though the answer was somewhere printed on the walls. “Ba'al might be here to get a head start. To get to us first, before Anubis shows up.”

“If that's the case we're really screwed though.” Daniel wrapped his arms around his knees. “I have no idea what to do, BD,” he whispered. 

BD let out a sharp breath, but his voice was calm. Confident. “You'll figure it out when the time is right.” He sat down next to Daniel and together they stared at the closed door. 

“Are you okay?” BD asked after a moment.

Daniel looked around their cell with its typical golden walls covered in glyphs. The floor was black and shiny. Familiar. Bad memories. He tried to push the rising fear in a far far corner of his mind. Right now he was just grateful he was not facing this alone. 

Whatever _this_ was.

“I'm fine,” he replied to BD's question. “I just hate not knowing what'll happen next.”

“Yeah.” 

“And I wish you were armed,” Daniel said, biting his lip. 

He swallowed. His implanted GPS... a moment of hope that they'd be able to locate them. Then the realization it only worked as long as he was in range of the tracking device at the mountain. In other words; it only worked as long as he was actually on the planet. Sam was working on a long range locator beacon for him, but it wasn't functioning yet. 

Another thought crossed his mind. Jack must be on his way to the SGC by now. But what would they make of it? They probably thought Thor had picked them up. How long would it take until they realized this wasn't a friendly Asgard visit?

BD put his arm around him. “We'll get out of here.” 

The footfall of heavy boots in the corridor had them looking at each other. Should they try to overcome whoever was going to enter their cell? Get out of here and try to find gliders. Maybe they could take the staff from the Jaffa... 

“Too dangerous,” BD said, guessing his thoughts.

“I'm little, but I haven't had all that training for nothing. I can at least help you tackle him. It'd be better than having to socialize with Ba'al.”

BD sighed, but nodded and they surged to their feet and took positions left and right of the door just as it opened and four Jaffa entered, their staffs ready to fire.

There was no point in trying to attack a group of them unarmed, unless one had a death wish. Daniel exchanged another glance with his big counterpart before a grim-looking ebony-skinned man turned around, his staff hovering inches from Daniel's eyes. 

“My master wishes to speak to you!”

“What does he want?” BD snapped from the other side of the door. There was a staff aimed at his face as well. 

“That is not of your concern,” the Jaffa on BD's side bellowed. He whipped his staff around. The barrel hit BD upside the head and he went down with an outraged yell. The Jaffa stood above him, holding the staff to the side of BD's head. 

The warrior in front of Daniel lowered his weapon. “Do not attempt to fight us or he will die.”

Daniel could only nod. _Don't hurt him_ , he thought frantically, _Don't hurt him_. But no sound left his mouth.

Strong arms grabbed him and pulled him through the door into the corridor. He was pushed forward but then allowed to walk on his own. Surrounded by the group of Jaffa, he was escorted to a room similar to the holding cell. Golden walls, black floor. 

In the middle of this room, however, was a chair that reminded Daniel of the one he'd had to sit in at the hospital in Cairo when the doctor cleaned his infected ear. Only this chair had clamps attached at the arm and foot rests. 

He stopped walking at the sight, but a hard shove in the back had him stumbling further inside. 

Next to the chair stood a tall, dark haired man, dressed in an open black leather coat that reached down to his shiny boots. The pants were of the same material, held by a wide silver studded belt. The belt buckle resembled the tattoo Ba'al's Jaffa were branded with; his logo. His shirt was of a silver material that fit his body like a second skin. 

He looked like a biker's gang boss rather than someone posing as an ancient god. There was no jewelry, no other attire, except for the ribbon hand device. For a Goa'uld he was kind of under dressed.

Which, in a way, only added to the air of deadly evil that seemed to surround him like an aura.

Daniel had met him once before; at the summit he'd gone to as Yu's Lo'taur when he was still big. He remembered Ba'al's arrogance. He was as vain and cruel as they came. Yet, even back then Daniel had sensed an underlying difference from the rest of them in Ba'al. He was ambitious, had an air of superiority about him. According to Teal'c Ba'al was the most dangerous of the system lords. 

And Daniel had no reason not to believe the truth of that. 

The Jaffa knelt before their god and Daniel was forced to his knees, too. For a moment he stared at Ba'al's boots, then couldn't help but look up into the Goa'uld's face; olive skin, a carefully trimmed beard and mobile lips. It was hard to believe Ba'al had lived in this host for at least two thousand years. He had been one of Ra's underlings before he became a host. At least that's what Daniel assumed from what he'd read about the deity Ba'al. Of course it was thanks to the sarcophagus the Goa'uld could sustain their hosts and remain in perfect health so they could live all those centuries. Daniel wondered, just for a fraction of time, what Ba'al's host had been like before the taking. And if he was still there somewhere tortured and helpless, condemned to watch the symbiote's doings without any chance of interfering. 

“My Lord – the boy,” the Jaffa closest to Daniel said.

Dark piercing eyes raked over the Jaffa and finally settled on Daniel. A thin smile curled Ba'al's lips. “So, you are the chosen one.” 

Daniel took this as permission to stand. He was determined not to show fear. “No. Harry Potter is the chosen one. I'm just Daniel.”

Okay, maybe baiting them wasn't such a great idea. He stood rigid, expecting the pain of the ribbon device to explode in his head any moment. 

But Ba'al merely raised his eyebrows, and it occurred to Daniel he might not know who Harry Potter was.

“Please – no false modesty. I have been looking forward to meeting you.” Ba'al raised his hand and with a flick of his wrist dismissed the Jaffa who left the room immediately. The door closed behind them and Daniel knew they would stand guard outside. There was no chance in hell he'd make it out of here. 

Ba'al stepped closer and Daniel took a step back. But the Goa'uld was fast. Long fingers gripped his jaw and tilted his head back so Daniel had to look straight into Ba'al's flashing eyes. “I will not harm you, child. But I have no use for the other one. Cooperate and he will live. Defy me and he will die.”

“What do you want?” Daniel wished he didn't sound like a mouse caught in a trap.

Ba'al let go of him and, with a flourishing gesture of his arm, indicated the chair. “Take a seat. We have a lot to discuss.”

“I'd rather stand,” Daniel said.

Now the pain came. He bit his lip swallowing the scream as he flew backwards and landed hard on the floor, the blinding light of the ribbon device causing stars and colorful circles to dance in front of his eyes. Hands grabbed him and he hung in Ba'al's grip like a rag doll, fighting nausea and dizziness as he was dragged over to the chair and slammed into it.

The clamps seemed to shrink around his wrists and ankles, making it impossible for him to pull his hands away or kick out at Ba'al. All that training, all the hard work outs for nothing... he was just a kid in Ba'al's clutches. 

When his sight cleared Ba'al's face hovered in front of Daniel's. The Goa'uld's eyes were almost black. He was smiling again, apparently amused by the small Tau'ri's feeble attempt to fight him. “You are strong-willed. I like that. However, playtime is over.”

Daniel licked his lip and tasted blood where he'd bit it. “What do you want?” he repeated his earlier question. 

“Ah, just a little chat, actually. It has come to my attention that you are a very important young man. That you carry... knowledge. Knowledge Anubis seeks.” 

“I have no control over accessing it.” 

“I know.” Ba'al brushed a fingertip over Daniel's temple. “They put it in your unconscious mind. That's what Anubis gathered from when he questioned your Colonel O'Neill.”

Daniel jerked his head away from the touch, but there was nowhere to go. The hard metallic head rest of the chair stopped his movement immediately. “Anubis won't get it,” he ground out. “Whatever it is he wants to know... I won't give it to him.” 

“I agree,” Ba'al said briskly, that dangerous smile back on his lips. “Anubis will not get what he seeks. But I will.” He straightened and pulled something out of his coat pocket. “The spy I had in Anubis' ranks brought a souvenir.” On his palm, as he held out his hand to Daniel, sat a small, round, spiked object. 

The mind probe. Of course. He should have known. A cold hand clenched around his guts. Jack had almost died when Anubis had used it on him. 

Ba'al said, “A fascinating little piece of technology.” 

Daniel's mind was racing. He needed to buy time. “Why do you want to know? If not to tell Anubis?”

“I have my reasons.” The mind probe was now held between two fingers. Ba'al eyed it as though it was an interesting insect. “I knew it would be no wasted time to send my Lo'taur as a spy to serve Anubis. What I learned was intriguing. By the time he arrives it will be too late. He will not enslave the Tau'ri.”

“You want to attack Earth instead of him? You... you want to take his place as most powerful system lord in the galaxy.” Realization hit with such force that the child-part in Daniel wanted to crawl into a corner of his mind and cry. Ba'al. It was Ba'al, not Anubis... and he was already here. The war had already begun. And Daniel was useless, strapped to this chair, forced to give Ba'al exactly what he wanted.

But what exactly did he want? The knowledge of Ancient history Daniel had discovered so far wouldn't be of interest to Ba'al. It had to be something useful. Something that gave Ba'al more power than anything else... something still buried in Daniel's mind. 

“It will hurt immensely, but keep in mind that it is for a good cause,” Ba'al said with a smirk. 

Something hard and cold pierced the skin at Daniel's left temple. He tried to turn his head away, but Ba'al's free hand was clamped around his jaw again, holding him in place. 

“NO! Stop it! NO!” Daniel's self-control slipped as the pain spiked through his skull. With his own screams echoing in his ears he felt his body seize and buck against the restraints. 

Finally he fell into darkness, escaping the pain into some nirvana in his mind. 

Then the pictures started to come. He tried to keep them at bay, tried to close his inner eye. He didn't want to see them. If he fought them hard enough, maybe Ba'al would give up and remove the probe. But the pictures were now joined by whispering voices, colors, scenes... and he spiraled into them like into Harry Potter's pensive... and he knew he was taking Ba'al with him.

His last coherent thought before everything turned into a jumbled mass of images and sounds was a plea for Aiyana to come and make it stop... 

***

Daniel felt a strange sensation rippling through his head. It was dark and it took a moment for him to realize his eyes were closed. He pried them open and a moan escaped him as even moving his eyeballs seemed to hurt. 

“Do not move,” a sharp voice advised him. “Close your eyes.”

There was a bright light and a humming sound. He complied and waited for the noise to stop. As soon as it did, his headache eased off and he could think a little more clearly. 

He turned his head but couldn't see anything. The room was full of moving shadows and bright flashes. Realizing he'd been blinded by that light and his eyes needed time to adjust, he blinked until his sight began to clear. 

“I have treated your wound,” the voice said. There was something unsettingly familiar about it. Something imperious. 

“Ah, thanks, I think.” He tried to raise a hand to touch his head, but he couldn't move. Why couldn't he move? Where was he? 

“Your injury was not severe.”

The memories rose out of the darkness in his mind... Ba'al's ship... LD... As he recognized the face belonging to the voice he tried to sit up, but found himself trapped in the bunk by restraints. 

“Where is Daniel?” 

“Is it true he used to be the same person you are?” Ba'al asked in return. “That he was turned into a child by an alien device?” 

Daniel noticed something in Ba'al's hand and he focused on that for now. “You used the healing device on me. Why?” 

“My Jaffa hit you with a staff. The bruise looked ugly on you.”

Daniel followed Ba'al with his eyes as he crossed the room. A panel in the wall opened. Ba’al slid the healing device off his hand and stored it away, then returned to stand next to Daniel's bunk, arms crossed. “Answer my questions, Doctor Jackson, or I will have to use the mind probe on you as well.”

“You used the mind probe on him?!” He tried not to imagine what that meant, but the thoughts were assaulting his mind mercilessly and he struggled against the restraints, shouting, “He's just a kid, you bastard!” 

“I gained some intriguing knowledge, yes,” Ba'al said thoughtfully. “Do you have the same knowledge as the boy? Maybe there is even more I can learn?”

He pulled at the restraints again, more carefully this time. He tried rotating his wrists, but there was no point. Unless Ba'al released him he was stuck. “Where is Daniel?!” 

“You are stubborn,” Ba'al said, appearing bored. “I had no intention of bringing you aboard when I transported the child.” He slipped a hand into the pocket of his coat and retrieved the mind probe. “Unless you prove yourself useful to me, I may just use this and kill you afterwards.”

Daniel stared at the Goa'uld in disbelief. “You just treated my bruise. Why would you do that if you intend to kill me anyway?” 

He felt exposed and strangely naked when Ba'al's eyes wandered over his restrained body as though he was examining him. “I thought you might be a little more cooperative for the sake of the boy. You are a very promising specimen. You have... potential. However, once I use this on you with the proper settings, you will not be of much value to me anymore.”

“What?!” Promising specimen? Potential? Was this moron coming on to him? “Sorry to disappoint you,” Daniel said sarcastically. Then it hit him what Ba'al had just said. He craned his neck to look at him. “Daniel? Is he alive? If you want me to cooperate in any way, let me see him.”

Ba'al tapped a finger against his lips. “You speak the language of the Ancients?” 

“Yes.” He saw no point in lying. 

“I see.” Ba'al eyed the mind probe for a moment. “Maybe you are valuable after all. First, however, I have a gift for you.” He pulled something else from his coat and Daniel got a glimpse of something golden dangling from the Goa'uld's fingertips. 

His right arm was caught in a vice like grip and that something was slapped around his wrist right below the restraints. 

“Now,” Ba'al said as he stepped back, “we will see how cooperative you are going to be.” 

At least he let the mind probe slip back into his coat's pocket.

***

“What's taking her so long!” Jack paced the length of the briefing room, ready to slam his fist into something.

“There are no Asgard ships detected in orbit,” Hammond said. “Now, I know that doesn't mean much since they can easily hide from our radars and satellites, but if the Asgard took Doctor Jackson and Daniel, why wouldn't they want us to know?” 

Carter entered the briefing room from the staircase. “Sir, I'm not positive it was Thor who beamed them up. From what you were telling us it must have been an Asgard beam, but they aren't answering my calls. I'm sorry.” 

“Well, the gray little fellas are not big into calling first and beaming up later. Whatever they want from the Daniels, I'm going to have a little chat with them about protocols,” Jack griped. 

“We have not heard from the Asgard for quite some time,” Teal'c cautioned. 

“They are deep into war with the replicators,” Carter said. 

“So what are you saying? It wasn't the Asgard? Could the Goa'uld be in possession of Asgard beaming technology?” Hammond asked. 

“Thor would have contacted us by now if it was him who took the Daniels,” Teal'c said.

Jack picked up his pacing again. If Anubis had arrived and decided he needed to have a chat with the Daniels there was nothing they could do but wait for him to make his next move. On the other hand he was sure that someone would notice if an armada of Goa'uld ships was hovering in orbit? Crap! 

“O'Neill!” Teal'c's shout spun him around and stopped him dead in his tracks.

What the... 

But Jack wasn't in the mood to wonder where the bastard had come from and why he could appear just like that in the briefing room of Earth's most highly secured military facility. 

“And who are _you_?” he snapped.

Carter was already calling for security over the PA system.

“I am Ba'al. You must be the infamous Colonel O'Neill.” Ba'al tilted his head in Teal'c's direction. “Ah, the shol'va.” 

Teal'c remained silent, his eyes shooting daggers. 

“What have you done to my people?” Hammond addressed Ba'al, his booming voice vibrant with controlled anger. 

“It is a holographic projection,” Teal'c said with disdain. “He would not risk showing himself to us unguarded.” 

“No,” Ba'al agreed lightly. “Of course I would not.” 

“Cowardice,” Teal'c spat.

“I call it intelligence. Why risk my life without reason?” Ba'al said smoothly. 

Jack stepped closer and waved his hand through Ba'al. He flickered a bit, then stabilized again. The Goa'uld glowered at him, but Jack could swear there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. “I have talked to your young charge, Colonel O'Neill. He was a well of information and knowledge.”

“Where is he?” Jack ground out.

“Enjoying my hospitality.”

Jack's jaw was clenched so tightly, it hurt. He forced his body to relax, forced himself to focus. Alive. That was the one and only thing he needed to know. Were they both alive? “Doctor Jackson?” 

“I did not harm him. Yet.”

Jack felt his heartbeat settle back to as close to normal as possible for the moment. 

The SFs were storming into the briefing room, guns aimed at Ba'al. With resignation in his voice, Hammond told them to stand down. Sadly, there was no point in shooting at a hologram. Jack would have done it anyway, just for the heck of it.

The general, who had vacated his seat as well upon Ba'al's arrival, stepped closer to Jack. “You will return your hostages to us immediately.” 

“Oh, I will return the child to you shortly.” After a pause, probably for dramatic effect, Ba'al said, “I am here to offer my assistance in your battle against Anubis.” 

“And why would you do that?” Jack asked. 

“We have allied before, have we not?”

“Yeah, well, wasn't exactly my decision.” With a sideways glance at his CO, Jack muttered. “Sorry, sir.” 

“Anubis is getting too powerful. He will not stop at conquering the Tau'ri. He will not stop at enslaving everyone. He is striving for the whole galaxy, and beyond. And he is insane enough to believe he can rule over the replicators, too. He can not be allowed to continue this course of action. It will lead to mass destruction and death of hundreds of worlds.” 

“And you want to stop him so you can take over his fleet and do all that instead of him? Aren't you going for exactly that kind of power?” Jack snarled. “All you snakeheads do. It's always about ruling this and getting power over that.”

“Only it is pointless to have that kind of power if there is nothing left to rule over,” Ba'al pointed out. 

“There's that. Still not buying your selfless act of offering 'help'.” 

Ba'al's eyes flashed angrily. “Are you saying you would rather watch your universe die than take the chance of saving millions of lives? Anubis does not know his limits. Once he has overcome the Tau'ri, he will engage in war with the replicators and they will destroy him and all the worlds he rules over.” 

“Nope. I'm asking what your agenda is. Say we kick Anubis's ass together – as soon as he's gone you'll take over from him and we'll be wearing your tattoo instead of his.”

“Anubis will be here within two of your Tau'ri days. I thought you might be interested in that bit of information,” Ba'al said, ignoring Jack's statement.

“We will be prepared,” Teal'c growled.

“You have one ship. Anubis will come with a fleet,” Ba'al countered. “His army of Kull warriors is in excellent shape. You will perish. Your little boy knows this and has agreed to work with me... after a little encouragement.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Jack managed to keep his voice and face impassive, but his insides turned cold with rage and horror. What had that rat done to his kid? Had he tortured him? Used that damn hand ribbon device? 

“You will need a fast ship. I happen to have such a ship and I will escort you.”

“A ship... to do what?” Carter asked. 

“Long distance travel. You will be my guests.” 

The hologram flickered again, fizzled out and then returned, showing them a new image. Ba'al had his hands on Daniel's shoulders, probably to steady him. But all Jack could see was the Goa'uld looming over the boy like a predator ready to strike. 

Jack flexed his hands slowly, balled them into fists and opened them again. “Daniel,” he said, his voice low and quiet while he fought to stomp down a red-hot haze of rage. Years of trained self control kept him calm on the outside. 

“Jack,” Daniel replied absently. He was wearing the burn mark of a hand ribbon device on his forehead like a flaming red tattoo. 

Jack tried to make eye contact, but Daniel's eyes were wide and vacant. Was he drugged? Or was this a side effect of the ribboning? 

Daniel's voice slurred as though he had trouble speaking. “You must find the source. There's no gate. You need Ba'al's ship.”

“Your alliances with the Jaffa and the Tok'ra are no more. The Asgard are at war with the replicators and losing their worlds and ships one by one. You have no defense against Anubis unless you get the power source Daniel is talking about and find the weapon to defend your planet. You cannot send Prometheus to Proclarush, because it's your only ship. You need her here for your feeble attempts to fight should we not return in time,” Ba'al said in a conversational voice. 

“Are you able to take us to that planet and back in two days?” Hammond asked sharply. 

“Certainly. We have a plan of action.” He patted Daniel's shoulders, a bizarre contradiction to the scoffing tone of his voice. 

“I have a better plan,” Jack said. “You stay here and fight Anubis and we take Prometheus to that planet. That way you and Anubis can have a nice barbecue with each other. Strongest one wins, loser goes boom.”

Ba'al raised his eyebrows. “As much as I would enjoy battling Anubis, I will have to decline the offer. We need that power source and the weapon to kill him once and for all. My ship has no better chance than yours. I have no fleet to support you.”

“The enemy of my enemy... and all that crap?” Jack exchanged a look with Hammond. The snake was right. If he hadn't brought a fleet he was as much a sitting duck as the Prometheus. 

Which brought up another question... 

“Why did you not bring your own fleet?” Teal'c asked the moment Jack thought about it. “Have your Jaffa abandoned you?” There was a hint of satisfaction in the big guy's voice. Yep, the rebellion was going strong.

Ba'al looked annoyed for a moment, but caught himself quickly. “I will not need a fleet to escort you to Taonas.”

“So let me ask this one more time... Why are you doing this again?” Jack asked. “Why?” 

“You are wasting time, Tau'ri,” Ba'al said with a smirk. Then he was gone.

A moment later Daniel appeared in the familiar beam of white light. Jack caught him before he hit the floor, and scooped him up in his arms. His fingertips probed Daniel's neck and found a fast fluttering pulse. Daniel's pale skin, a harsh contrast to the nasty red burn mark on his forehead, felt cool to the touch. 

Hugging his child close, Jack spun around. “Sir... “

“Take him to the infirmary,” Hammond ordered tersely. “And then get back here. We need to find a way out of this mess. Major Carter, Teal'c... suggestions?”

Jack ran. 

Inside the elevator, once he had managed to slip his access card into the slot without dropping Daniel, he leaned against the cab's wall and closed his eyes in frustration. Why didn't this thing go faster? When he reached Level 21 he was out of the elevator in a flash.

Informed by Hammond over the phone Fraiser and two nurses were standing by. They took Daniel from him and settled him on one of the beds. The doc checked his vitals and took a look in his eyes. “He's slipped into a coma. He's breathing on his own though... I want blood samples. Take him to intensive care immediately.” 

With that they rushed out, leaving Jack in their wake. He was supposed to go back to the briefing room... but his feet carried him out the door, down the hallway and into intensive care where Daniel was already being hooked to the IV. A nurse rolled a heart lung machine into the room.

“We don't need to intubate yet. He is breathing,” Fraiser said before he could ask. “It's just a precaution and we'll give him oxygen to help him cope. I'm not sure what's wrong with him. Maybe it's an aftershock from the ribbon device. We don't know what kind of effect it has on a... a small body.” 

Jack waited until the nurses left Daniel's bedside before he approached him. He brushed a gentle hand through the spiky blond hair. “Hey, you're home now. Time to wake up.” 

Not so long ago he had been sitting here with Jackson... 

He settled a hand on Daniel's forehead over the burn. “I've got ya,” he murmured. “Give me a moment...“ He started searching for a happy thought, a memory that would help him open up to this... it had worked once, it had to work again... 

There was a weak jolt of something going through Jack, just a mere echo of the flow of energy he had experienced when he healed Jackson. Something was wrong, was blocking him. 

But at least Daniel's eyelids started to flutter. “J'ck.” 

“Hey, kiddo.” Jack took his hand. It was ice cold. 

“Don't... no use. Have to go back,” Daniel mumbled, his eyes drooping close again. “Go back,” he repeated. ”Tied to him.”

“Daniel? Daniel, stay with me!” Jack was about to yell for Fraiser, when he noticed a bracelet strapped around Daniel's wrist. It appeared to be ornamental jewelry and it definitely didn't belong to his kid. 

Jack looked for an opening mechanism, but there was none. He tried to pull it over Daniel's hand, but it was too tight. 

“What's that?” Fraiser, who returned as Jack was still looking at the bracelet, bent over his shoulder. “Could it be the cause of Daniel's state?” 

Jack let go of Daniel's hand. “Get Teal'c down here.”

  
  


Minutes later they were all gathered around Daniel's bed, including General Hammond.

Teal'c held Daniel's hand in his and studied the bracelet. The ornaments resembled Scarab beetles. “They are called Kor mak.”

“What are they?” Carter asked. “I mean, how do they work?”

“I have only heard of them in passing a very long time ago. But I believe it was Cronus who used this technology when a prisoner of value needed to be transported by one of his Jaffa. He would affix a bracelet such as this to both the prisoner and the Jaffa responsible for him. If they became separated for more than a short period of time, they would both become ill and die.”

“Both of them?” Jack asked.

“Indeed. To punish the Jaffa for his incompetence.”

“So, whoever is wearing the other bracelet is showing the same symptoms as Daniel?” Fraiser asked, alarmed.

“I believe so. Once both wearers of the bracelets are in close proximity again, they should recover.” 

“Daniel said he had to go back... that he was tied to... “ Jack trailed off and bolted from his chair. “We need to get him back to Ba'al's ship. Now.” 

“We have no way of contacting Ba'al,” Teal'c said grimly. 

“You think Ba'al attached the other bracelet to Doctor Jackson,” Hammond concluded.

“It makes perfect sense. Ba'al has kept him on the ship to demonstrate the effects of the bracelets to us. To make sure we have no choice but to cooperate with him,” Carter said. “What I don't get is, why? If he is so keen on us going to this planet with him, he could just beam us all up and go there. He knows he can transport people in and out of here. We have no force fields to prevent him from doing so.”

“He's playing with us,” Jack said grimly. “He's up there, laughing his ass off.”

“Indeed. He is demonstrating his power,” Teal'c said. “He wants to make sure we do not underestimate him.”

“Right.” Carter grimaced. “What was I thinking? He's a Goa'uld.”

Hammond gazed at Daniel for a moment. “I'm supposed to wait for the Pentagon's decision before I order any course of action.” He abruptly turned to Jack. “I can't do anything about it if Ba'al beams you up to his ship, but I can make sure you're armed. I want you to gear up and be on stand by. As I see, it we don't have any alternative anyway. With all our allies out for the count and Daniel unable to provide his knowledge so we can defend ourselves, the Prometheus doesn't stand a chance against Anubis's fleet.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Jack said. He cupped Daniel's face with one hand. “You hang in there, buddy. I'll be right back.” 

Fraiser measured his pulse. “I'll stay with him, Colonel.” 

Jack hurried out after his team, taking his mind off Daniel's condition by thinking up a dozen ways of dealing with Ba'al once the situation was under control again.

  
  


**II**

Ba'al beamed them out of the mountain the moment Fraiser decided to intubate Daniel because his breathing had become ragged and shallow. Jack and Daniel materialized in a room that appeared to be quarters. Jack picked up his boy from the floor and put him in one of the bunks. 

Patting his face lightly he called his name. It seemed to take an eternity before those baby blues opened and focused on him. “Yes,” Jack whispered. “There you are.” 

“Dizzy,” Daniel mumbled.

“I know. C'mon, fight it. Wake up.” He started rubbing Daniel's cold hands. 

Slowly, the color returned to his face and he seemed more alert. “Happened?” 

“You passed out on us, but you'll be okay now.”

“Fron cruvus.”

“Uh... your head?”

Daniel blinked up at him. “Fron.”

“Head,” Jack translated, remembering that bit from his encounter with the ancient repository.

“He-ad,” Daniel said thoughtfully as though he had trouble remembering the word. “Cruvus... wrong.”

“Your head hurts?” Crap, the kid was going Ancient on him. “Daniel? Try English here?” 

Daniel shook his head. “Doesn't hurt. Wrong. Cruvus.” 

“As in jumbled? Yeah, I know that feeling.” Jack had felt the same when he'd taken in the repository. He didn't recall most of what had been crammed into his poor brain at the time, but he remembered the fear his head might explode from all that was in there... until he'd stopped remembering anything but bits and pieces. 

Ba'al had done something to trigger the Ancient stuff in Daniel's mind to surface. Was it overriding everything else? Was it having the same affect on Daniel as the Ancient head sucker had had on Jack? 

He clamped down on that train of thoughts. Daniel was alive and talking – sort of, which was good. 

A low moan coming from another bunk spun him around in time to see Jackson sitting up and grimacing. His voice was hoarse as he muttered, “Why did I pass out – again?”

“Long story. You okay?” 

The relief of seeing Jackson alive was dampened by his worries for the little version who was now just sitting there and looking blankly at the wall. Jack jiggled his shoulder lightly. “Hey, buddy? You with me?”

Daniel slowly turned his head and gazed at him, “Okay. Ego euge.” 

Then he looked back at the wall. This mixing up languages and abbreviated speech thing was starting to creep Jack out. They had to find a way to reserve this, whatever it was. 

“Jack?” Jackson whispered. Something in Big Daniel’s voice made Jack look up. Worried blue eyes were fixed on Daniel. “Ba'al used a mind probe on him.” 

Jack froze. “What?” It came out as a croak more than a word. But of course it explained a thing or two about Daniel being so out of it. 

“He told me. Ba'al... told me.” Jackson still sounded raspy. “He knows everything LD knows.” 

At that moment Carter and Teal'c appeared in the middle of the room, weapons ready to shoot. 

“Easy, it's just us. For now,” Jack said, holding up a hand. 

“Ba'al has started scanning the base and is beaming up technical equipment and nourishment,” Teal'c informed them. 

“What?” Jack didn't believe this. “He's raiding us?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Hammond is fuming, but there's nothing he can do about it. Looks like it's a long journey to Proclarush Taonas.” Carter let out a frustrated huff. “I wish I’d had more time to look for that planet in our computers. God knows where he's taking us.” 

“Proclarush Taonas,” Little Daniel piped up. “Lost in Fire.”

Carter crouched in front of their bunk and put a hand on his arm. “Daniel, what do you know about this planet? Can you tell us?” 

He slowly turned his head and looked at her. “Lost in fire. Sau attero et mundus.” 

“We're having a slight... problem there,” Jack said at Carter's and Teal'c's confused looks. 

“Let me try something.” Jackson stretched and rose to his feet. It was odd seeing him in jeans and a black hooded Sweatshirt on a Goa'uld ship. He had used his thick winter jacket as a pillow. 

He came over and sat down beside the kid. “Hey, Daniel, can you understand me?”

Daniel nodded.

“Okay. Do you remember who you are? Who we are?” He repeated the same question in that weird almost-Latin they called Ancient. Mostly it was just gibberish to Jack. 

Daniel tapped his own chest. “Danielis parvulus.” He pointed at Jackson. “Danielis virilis.” He looked at Carter and Teal'c. “Sam. Teal'c.” Then he grasped for Jack's hand and, holding it in both of his small ones, he said, “Jack.” 

Jackson nodded. “Okay. That's good. Do you remember what happened?” 

Daniel's fingers started playing with Jack's; something he used to do when anxious or in need of physical contact in those first months of his second childhood. He hadn't done this in a very long time, but It seemed he was falling back into those old patterns now. Jack hoped it was just post traumatic stress and not a lasting affect of that damn mind probe, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

All in all he should probably be grateful Daniel was still here and somehow interacting at all. Jack knew what that little toy was capable of. He could only guess that Ba'al had removed the probe before it was too late. Which meant he still needed the kid alive.

After a moment Daniel said, “Ba'al. Incursus. Malus.” 

“Ba'al attacked. Evil,” Jackson translated. 

Daniel turned and buried his face in Jack's side. “Malus,” he whimpered. 

Even more than the newly acquired speech pattern, Jack was taken aback by this out-of-character, open display of fear. It was like something had stripped away all of Daniel's shields and defenses.

“I know, I know,” he soothed. “It's okay.” His fingers got squeezed painfully, but Jack didn't pull his hand away. 

“Sui potestate. Amissa. Ego... ego... scared.”

“He's losing control,” Jackson translated, “but he remembers. At least the basics.” 

Daniel pulled away from Jack and sighed. He fought for words, then shook his head. “I feel...cruvus.” Then his body went limp and he sagged back against Jack.

“Daniel?” Jack grabbed him by his shoulders and gave him a light shake. “Talk to me, kiddo.” 

LD gazed back at them, his eyes blank and unfocused. 

“He's zoning out. He did that before.” Jack waved a hand in front of the boy's eyes, but got no reaction. 

“Maybe he's just processing something,” Jackson suggested just as Daniel shook himself as though he had gotten a small jolt. Slowly his eyes focused again and he held out his wrist to his adult self. 

“Nexilis, Together.”

Jackson examined their identical wristbands as Teal'c explained their meaning. 

“So that's why I feel like I have the worst hungover? Last thing I remember is Ba'al talking to me and then leaving me here to 'rest'. Well, I guess that's still better than being killed right away.” 

LD tugged at Jackson's arm. “Noo egressus Proclarush Taonas.” He paused, then said, “Lost in fire. No asteria porta.”

“Ah, okay... he says...“

“We're going to Proclarush Taonas, which means lost in fire. There's no gate,” Jack bottom lined it. “I got that much. And Ba'al's giving us a ride there.” 

Jackson blinked. “What? Why?”

“Beats me.”

“Inimicus inimici mei amicus meus est,” Daniel said solemnly. 

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Jackson translated thoughtfully. “And you're buying this?”

Daniel cocked his head. “No choice.”

“What does he want in return?” Jackson inquired.

“He has not revealed that yet,” Teal'c replied.

“There has to be something,” Carter said darkly.

LD gazed at them dreamily. “Navo lochus. Pegasus.”

“Pegasus?” Jackson asked. “Navo lochus... new location. We're going to a place called Pegasus? But you said we're going to Proclarush Taonas.”

“Pegasus,” Daniel repeated

“Right. Let's find this Ba'al character and get a few things straight,” Jack said tersely. 

As if on cue – and didn't these snakeheads love a grand entrance - the door opened revealing two guards and their god and master. SG-1 moved fast, but Ba'al had nothing more than a mild smile for the two P90s and one staff aimed at him. 

“Do not waste your weapon's fire on me. I am shielded.” 

“Ya think?” The combat knife was in Jack's hand faster than you could say 'kill'. 

“I know how to remove the bracelets.” 

Jack weighed the knife in his hand. “How?” 

“I will release them as soon as our mission is done.”

“We'll get them off,” Jack snarled. “No big deal.” 

“I doubt that. They cannot be removed with any ordinary tools,” Ba'al said.

“O'Neill.” Teal'c stepped beside him. “I believe this to be true.” 

“Listen to the shol'va. He knows.” Ba'al looked around the room. “These will be your quarters, so make yourself comfortable. You will receive three meals per day if you cooperate. Lay down your weapons. All of them.”

“I don't think so,” Jack sneered. 

Ba'al waved at his guards, then pointed at Jackson. “Shoot him.”

“HEY!” Jack hollered and Ba'al raised a hand just as the staffs were readied to fire. “You need the kid alive. And they're linked. You can't kill him.”

“I will kill him and revive him. It will be interesting to see how long the little one can sustain his strength while slipping in and out of a coma. And how much more that might destroy his precious mind.” 

“You need his mind intact,” Carter said. “You need his knowledge.”

“I have extracted all the knowledge I need from him. It took a little time and effort to uncover what was in his mind. The probe was modified so it would not kill him, but I am afraid it left him a bit confused,” Ba'al said with a shrug. 

“Then why keep him alive?” Carter challenged him. “You still need him for some reason, don't you!” 

“I can always put him into my sarcophagus if needed. How much he has to suffer depends on your cooperation. I take it you care about him?” 

Jack jerked the strap of his P90 over his head and placed the weapon on the ground, followed by his Zat and his knife. Carter followed his example immediately. Teal'c needed a tad longer, but finally he added his staff to the pile of weapons on the floor. 

One of the Jaffa started searching Carter's pack. “There are no weapons in it, my lord,” he said after a moment.

“Leave it then,” Ba'al ordered. 

Jack looked him up and down and couldn't stop his mouth from running away with him. “What's with the leather? You snakeheads going for a new style these days? Kinky.”

The Goa'uld's lips quirked into a smirk and, instead of being offended and yelling words of doom, he brushed a hand over his long coat. “The robes are a bit out of fashion.” 

_A snake with a sense of humor?_ Jack couldn't believe it.

Ba'al walked past Jack and approached Little Daniel. “How is our boy doing?” 

Jackson, who was closest to LD, moved in front of him. At the same time Jack, Carter and Teal'c stepped into line with him, all of them shielding the kid with their bodies. 

“He's not _your_ boy,” Jack said coldly. “You're not part of this family.”

Ba'al smirked knowingly. “He is your weakest link and you will do as I wish to protect him, will you not?” 

They stood face to face. 

Close enough.

Too close to resist the temptation.

Without turning his head, Jack's eyes caught Jackson's. He gently nudged Teal'c with an elbow on his other side and felt the Jaffa's body tense in response. 

They moved as one. Teal'c and Jackson attacked the Jaffa as Jack's fist wiped the smirk right off Ba'al's face.

Should have anyway.

Should have broken his nose and sent him down to the floor. The personal body armor protected its wearer from guns and energy weapons, but let knives and arrows through... It should have let Jack beat the crap out of the snakehead.

Jack was still trying to wrap his head around that as the impact of the shield catapulted him backwards against the bunk. A jolt of energy shot up his punching arm and seemed to fry his brain and the rest of his body. 

Cursing, he struggled to his feet, his arm hanging uselessly at his side. Carter had launched herself head-first at the pile of weapons, but as she reached for one of the knives, Ba'al's boot stomped on her wrist and she let out a painful yell. In a knee-jerk reaction she twisted herself on the floor and tried to grab Ba'al's leg with her free hand. 

“Carter, no!” Jack bellowed, but it was too late.

She convulsed as little white flames seemed to lick their way up her arm. Ba'al bent down and grabbed her by the collar of her jacket. Stepping off her hand he pulled her to her feet and pushed her out of the weapons' reach, sending her back to the floor.

“The body shield,” she ground out as she came to her feet, clutching her arm. “It's modified.”

“What gave it away?” Jack grunted. Pins and needles were prickling his arm and shoulder. 

Teal'c and his opponent were immersed in hand-to-hand combat, neither one ready to give. The Jaffa used the butt end of his staff to keep Teal'c at arm's length, but when the big guy went down he caught the other guy's legs between his own and took the man with him. 

No help needed there.

Jack stumbled forward to help Jackson, who was hitting the living daylights out of the other guard, when a movement next to him caught his eye and Carter's yelled warning spun him around...

Ba'al had picked up Jack's P90 and aimed it at Carter. The faint 'click' of the weapon being unlocked and set on single shot was like thunder in Jack's ears. Everything else was drowned out by it. 

“I could shoot and revive her,” Ba'al said and the muzzle slowly pivoted until it was directed at Jack. “Or you, But there is no merit in that.” 

It moved from Jack to Little Daniel who was still sitting on his bunk, staring back at Ba'al. “I wonder how much blood the little one will lose before he dies? And how much pain he will suffer?” 

Every movement around Jack seemed to slow down as his eyes zeroed in on the muzzle of the gun in Ba'al's hands. 

He forced his head away from it. Teal'c and Jackson looked at Ba'al, then at Jack. They had both disarmed their Jaffa, who were now on the ground with staffs aimed at their throats.

Ba'al's trigger finger hovered, curled...

“Stand down,” Jack said flatly. 

“You can shoot them if you wish,” Ba'al said icily. “They failed me.”

Teal'c and Jackson stepped away from the men and the staffs exchanged hands.

Ba'al waved the gun at SG-1. “Stand by the boy.” He waited until they complied, then he smiled. “Excellent. We will get along well. And yes, the body armor has been upgraded. It is very efficient now.” 

“ _You are dead_ ,” Jack said calmly. 

“Deader than dead,” Jackson added.

“Count on it.” There was a cold steely undertone Jack rarely heard from Carter. 

“Indeed,” Teal'c growled.

“A challenge,” Ba'al said, raising his eyebrows. “We will see.” 

“So what? Are we prisoners?” Jack asked. 

“You are very special guests. I will summon you when I need your assistance.” Ba'al tilted his head and gave adult Daniel a long look. “You are cursed by all Goa'uld for opening the Chaapa'ai. The price on your head is astronomical.”

Jackson raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I remember Aris Boch saying something like that.”

“You have a brilliant mind. Many of us think of you, and all of SG-1, as a nuisance. However, I find it refreshing to finally meet you in person.” With one last look at Jackson, Ba’al turned around and left. The guards picked up SG-1's weapons and followed their master. 

Once the door had closed behind them Jack arched one eyebrow. “Astronomical, eh? I don't remember Boch saying that.”

“Well, he did... sort off.” 

“Don't you feel honored?”

“Ecstatic,” Jackson snarked. 

Jack rubbed his arm and grimaced. “What the hell did they do to that body armor thingy?” 

“Apparently it doesn't allow body contact. I guess it also shields from non-energy weapons now, too” Carter said.

Jack gave her a once over. “You all right, Carter?”

“Fine, sir.” She moved her wrist carefully. “It's not broken. How do we get that shield off him?” 

“Remember we can't kill him,” Jackson said. “Not until he tells us how to open the bracelets. Would have been good to lock him up somewhere until we were done with Anubis though.” 

“If Ba'al was no threat to them any more, I might be able to convince his Jaffa to join me,” Teal'c said thoughtfully. 

“We'll figure something out.” Jack sat down heavily on the bunk beside Daniel and wrapped one arm around the boy. 

As though the touch brought him back from whatever mental space he'd been in, a tremor ran through the little guy and he huddled against Jack. He didn't say a word or cry. But Jack felt Daniel's heart doing a staccato beat. 

“Hey, buddy, look at me. Ba'al's gone. For now.” He tipped a finger under Daniel's chin to raise his head. “You're okay. He left.”

“Malus,” Daniel whispered.

“Yeah, but he's gone.” Jack gently adjusted his glasses. 

“Safe. Salvus. Gone,” Daniel acknowledged finally. He pushed his glasses to the top of his head and knuckled his eyes. Leaning against Jack again he murmured. “Dormata.” 

“Sleep,” Jackson said.

Daniel curled up beside Jack and put his head in his lap. Jack pulled the glasses off and pocketed them in his vest. He started playing absently with the short strands of Daniel's hair and watched his team settle down on the free bunks.

Within a minute LD's breathing deepened and he was asleep.

“Sir, I think Ba'al is right. The mind probe probably damaged...” Carter trailed off, took a deep breath and continued. “It might have caused permanent brain damage depending on how long he was exposed to it.” She closed her eyes for a moment, probably to ward off some nasty visuals her mind was trying to force on her about what Daniel might have gone through in the short time Ba'al had had him in his clutches. 

“You got something for the burn?” Jack asked curtly. It didn't look too bad now that Daniel wasn't so pale anymore; it didn't even seem to bother him much in his current condition, but it was still glaringly red.

“Yeah, sure.” She slipped from her bunk and rummaged around in her pack until she came up with a tube of cream and handed it to Jack, who applied a thin layer to Daniel's forehead. The boy stirred, but didn't wake up. 

“It's not just the mind probe,” Jack said when he was done and Carter had taken the tube from him. “It's all that stuff that's been hidden in his brain now coming out and overriding everything else.” 

“Like when you had the repository downloaded into yours,” Carter said. “Of course. That may be it.” She bit her lip. “Sir...”

“I know,” Jack cut her off. It had left him three fries short of a happy meal. If no one was there to pull all this crap out of Daniel's mind... 

“That's why Aiyana and Oma made sure he would only gain bits of the information at a time. Just enough to keep us going without putting him at risk of brain damage,” Jackson said.

“Perhaps Aiyana will return to remove the knowledge once we have accomplished our mission,” Teal'c said quietly. 

Jack tipped his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah.” 

It was a possibility at least. If it wasn't too late by then. It had taken Jack a couple of days to get to the state Daniel was already in after only a couple of hours. They had forty-eight hours to find whatever they were supposed to find, go back and fight Anubis... and then what? 

“Why do you think he’s taking all of us with him?” Jackson asked after a long stretch of silence. “I get that he needs LD and Jack...“ 

Jack groaned. “You think he wants me to work some Ancient thingamajig?”

“Probably, yes.” 

“Fun,” Jack muttered.

“It seems he does not have a large crew on board. It is unusual for a Goa'uld to travel by Ha'tak and not take a full army of Jaffa and several servants with him,” Teal'c provided.

“Yeah. I noticed that, too. And why didn't he bring his fleet?” Carter inquired.

“Maybe he doesn't have one? Maybe he tried to take on Anubis on his own before he decided to come to us. And Anubis wiped out most of his fleet.” Jackson suggested. 

“And Ba'al escaped and decided to ask for help?” Carter asked.

Jackson shrugged. “Why not? If it gets him what he wants?”

“Ironic,” Jack said.

“I believe Bra'tac would have known if Ba'al had tried to battle Anubis. There were no such rumors when I last met him,” Teal'c said.

“So... maybe something else is keeping his fleet occupied then,” Carter said. 

“Perhaps Ba'al does not wish to let anyone know he has allied with the Tau'ri again. It would be considered an act of weakness.”

Jack looked down at his sleeping kid. “Whatever he's up to, he needs us alive. Let's work with that. Since we're stuck here, for now, get some shut eye.”

“I will keep watch,” Teal'c offered.

**III**

A gentle but persistent tugging on his arm pulled Daniel out of a light sleep. Blue eyes gazed at him. Daniel sat up, suppressing a groan at his protesting back. These bunks weren't made for comfortable sleep. Rubbing a hand over his face he blinked at the boy. 

“Come,” LD said simply. “Work.”

“What kind of work?” Daniel noticed the switch from Ancient to English and wondered if it was a good sign. 

He watched as LD roused Sam and Jack and indicated for them to follow him. Teal'c, who probably hadn't slept or kelno'reemed at all, stepped in front of the door which opened to an empty corridor. 

“Nice,” Jack drawled in a low voice.

“I guess we're far enough into deep space for Ba'al to be sure we won't use gliders or escape pods,” Sam assumed as they moved out into the corridor.

“I think he knows we really need to go to Taonas. We have no choice,” Daniel said grimly.

LD took point and no one questioned that. They all remembered Jack having followed his inner Ancient voice when overtaken by the repository. They had learned to just go with the flow in that department. 

However, Jack hovered close to Little Daniel, ready to grab and pull him out of harm's way if necessary. 

They were led to a cargo bay stuffed with crates and boxes and whole shelves which, Daniel was sure, had come right out of the SGC's labs or storage rooms. 

“What the...,” Jack muttered, but trailed off when LD started wandering around pulling equipment from shelves and piling it up in the middle of the room. He opened crates and boxes, retrieving all kinds of wires, cables, screws, drills, screwdrivers, a voltmeter, a soldering gun, and other tools. 

“Carter?” Jack asked, an air of exasperation in his voice.

“I have no idea,” she replied, flummoxed. 

“Figure it out.”

“Yes, sir.” Sam approached LD, but didn't disturb him. She followed him around as he continued to collect items.

“Ba'al has beamed all this out of the SGC,” she explained. “Daniel must have told him what he needs. The question is; what does he need it for? Whoa!” LD placed something next to the other items on the floor. “A naquadah generator. Sir, I think he's going to build something.” 

“Ya think?”

“Machinus,” LD provided absently. 

“Machine,” Daniel translated automatically even though that one was pretty obvious.

Sam sorted through everything the boy had piled up. “I sure wish I knew what he's trying to build. Daniel, can you tell us what you're doing?” 

LD shrugged, sat down on the floor and started to pick up items to examine them. “Machinus.”

“Okay, let me try to...” Daniel crouched in front of little-him. “Tua sunt machinus. Pro quis voluntas?” 

Helpless, Daniel watched LD's lips move just as the storage room dissolved around him.

After a second of disorientation Daniel found himself in what appeared to be Ba'al's personal quarters or maybe some kind of... throne room? It was dominated by a large high-backed chair with Ba'al's sign looming at the top of the head rest. Usually the _throne_ served as a command chair in the control room, but Daniel couldn't see a view screen or a helm console. 

He spotted a control panel in the back of the room that looked vaguely familiar, though.

Ba'al stepped away from the panel. “This Asgard technology has its upsides.” Cocking his head, he gave Daniel a curious look. “Did you rest well, Doctor Jackson?”

“Ah, to be brutally honest; no, not really,” he replied with a grimace of disgust. “What do you want?”

“I have lost my Lo'taur to Anubis. She served me well, but once Anubis learned of her real loyalty, her life was forfeit. She was the second Lo'taur I have lost through his hands.” Something dark crossed the Goa'uld's face, probably anger about the loss of a possession. 

“Ye-ah, I'm sure that's all very sad and heartbreaking and I'll try to feel sorry for you when I have a minute, but if you're offering me a job as your new Lo'taur I have to decline,” Daniel said acidly. 

Ba'la gave him a knowing smirk before his eyes grew hard and flashed golden. “I am not offering you anything. You will obey my command. Unless you want the little one to suffer... greatly. Keep in mind there are infinite ways of torture without killing, even such a small body,” 

Daniel gritted his teeth. “You need him.” 

But they had argued this particular point before....

“Oh, yes. But as you know I have the means to revive him again and again until he has served his purpose.” 

Daniel bowed his head. He couldn't bear looking into those mocking, complacent eyes. He had to get a grip or he'd try to wipe that expression from Ba'al's face with his fists even though it was pointless thanks to the body shield. 

And in the end LD was going to pay for it. 

_Ba'al's only way to compromise us is using the kid. And he's going to play that card whenever we try to cross him._

As though he had read Daniel's thoughts Ba'al turned back to the Asgard panel and, with a flick of his hand, moved the control stones. 

In the shimmer of white light LD appeared. 

“So far I have only warned you. Maybe you need to know I do not make idle threats.” Ba'al touched a sensor on another panel and the wall next to the door moved aside, revealing an opening covered by something that resembled a spider web made of metal or, which was more likely, naquadah.

“No!” Daniel started moving towards the kid when two Jaffa, who must have been hidden in the deeper shadows of the chamber, grabbed him from behind and took hold of his arms before he could reach his little counterpart. 

Ba'al touched another control and, as if being pulled in by a magnetic field, LD was jerked off his feet and sucked against the naquadah web where he slowly rotated until he hung suspended and helpless like a fly; his back, arms and legs pressed against the webbing. 

Still struggling in the grip of the two Jaffa, Daniel made eye contact with LD who was staring back at him. His little counterpart didn't utter a single sound. His eyes were vacant again and he seemed to look straight through Daniel. 

From a small work counter next to the Asgard panel Ba'al picked up a long bladed dagger. “It will go through his flesh like butter.” 

“No,” Daniel hissed. “Don't.” 

He jerked at his arms to get free. His legs were kicked out from under him. He lost his footing and stumbled, only held upright by Ba'al's guards. 

“Maybe puncture a lung.”

“Don't!” He yelled it now. “I'll do it!” He stopped struggling, stopped moving. “I'll do it,” he repeated, more composedly. “Just... let him go.” 

Ba'al looked at the dagger, apparently indecisive. “You will not deceive me?”

“No.”

“Then kneel.”

Daniel glanced at LD still caught in the naquadah web. “Let him go,” he repeated as he was forced to his knees by the Jaffa. 

Ba'al brushed a single finger over the tip of the blade and stepped closer. “As my Lo'taur it is your duty to be available to me day and night. You will tend to my attire, prepare and serve my meals. You will also take care of the basic needs of your friends. Do as you are told and I may keep you in my service once our mission is done.”

“What about Daniel? He needs to stay close to me.” 

“As long as you will both be on this ship there is no danger,” Ba'al said. “O'Neill will take care of the boy. I need Major Carter in the engine room. Teal'c,” a thin smile curled the Goa'uld's lips, “will take the helm. I want him in the control room where I can keep an eye on him.”

“Where's your fleet?” Daniel asked. “Why did you come alone? It makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. But it is none of your business. You understand the terms of your new position under my command?” 

_You mean the part about being at your mercy? That you can do with me whatever you want? Or that you're going to keep me should I perform well and kill me should I be bad at this?_ The sarcastic words were at the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them and nodded. 

Ba'al must have given the Jaffa a hand sign. The well aimed kick to his kidneys took Daniel's breath away and made his eyes water. He doubled over, his arms and shoulders straining as he dangled in the grip of his tormentors. 

“You will address me properly,” Ba'al sneered.

He was roughly jerked back until he sat on his heels. Little Daniel was still hanging from the web, was still in danger of being pierced by that knife in Ba'al's hand. 

Daniel forced himself to look up at the Goa'uld. “Yes, my lord.”

Addressing his first prime, Ba'al said, “Take him to my quarters.” 

“My lord, what do you wish him to wear?” 

Ba'al gazed down at Daniel. “My last Lo'taur was female,” he said thoughtfully, then shrugged. “Leave that to Mora'i. He shall prepare him.”

“Yes, my lord.” The first prime bowed, then Daniel was hauled to his feet and dragged out of the room.

There was a commotion in the corridor and for a wild moment of hope he thought Jack, Sam and Teal'c had found weapons and turned the tables. But as they drew closer Daniel spotted Jack and Sam on the floor, writhing in the aftershock of being zatted. Three Jaffa gathered around them to make sure they weren't going to continue to fight once they recovered. 

Teal'c, who was bleeding from a gash on his temple, was kept at bay by two more Jaffa with staffs. 

“DanielJackson!” he hollered.

“I'm fine!” He wanted to say more, wanted to make sure Jack and Sam were okay, but he was pushed down the corridor. “DON'T fight him, Teal'c! He has Daniel in there,” he managed to yell before he was dragged on and his teammates were out of sight. 

Ba'al's personal quarters were a vast difference to the sparse accommodation of the rest of the ship and Daniel realized he'd never been to a system lord's private rooms before, except for Yu's guest quarters during the summit.

The omnipresent golden walls were illuminated by the same torches and wall lights as the rest of the ship, but the ceiling was tented in draperies of red and gold. The polished black floor was covered by rugs of rich reds, soft golds and vibrant blues. Colors the ancient Egyptians commonly used and appreciated. On a pedestal in the back of the room sat a large bed, covered with brown satin sheets and a lavish gold brocade comforter. Plush throw pillows in deep crimsons were scattered all over it. The bed was topped by a sheer, golden canopy. 

A bed. Where was the sarcophagus? Ba'al had to use one to sustain his health and longevity. It had to be somewhere, maybe hidden in another compartment. Which left the question what would a Goa'uld need a bed for. Daniel didn't want to go there, but had a feeling he might find out soon enough.

He spotted a variation of throwing sticks displayed on a small sideboard. Made from polished wood, they looked old, but very well preserved. He wondered if Ba'al had memories linked to these artifacts which had been used for bird hunting in medieval Egypt. 

White marble statues. varying in sizes from approximately four feet of height to smaller ones that barely reached Daniel's knees, resembling Ba'al in different stages of his life, were scattered across the room. Two of the larger ones, of a very young Ba'al without the beard, stood left and right of the bed. Others were in the corners of the room. Ba'al in festive attire, Ba'al with the bull horns on his head, and a naked sculpture of Ba'al. 

_Ba'al is a huge fan of Ba'al_ , Daniel thought. _No surprise there._

The only other furniture, except a chaise lounge, was a small table. Ba'al's symbol was carved into its surface overlaying – Daniel noticed with his schooled eye – the symbol of Ra. Apparently this piece of furniture had formerly belonged to Ra and once Ba'al had brought it into his possession he had marked it as his own by having his symbol cover Ra's. A sign of superiority. 

Daniel was led across Ba'al's bedroom chambers into another room where he was given the curt order to wait for Mora'i before he was left alone. 

Daniel eyed the golden – of course it had to be golden – bathtub. Actually it was more of a pool, embedded in the floor. Flasks containing creamy liquids and several jars with lotions and powders were lined up by a – wait for it – golden sink and a large mirror. 

Was LD safe? Out of the throne room? Back with the others? 

“I can do this,” Daniel told himself. Better he than Sam. Better he played Ba'al's Lo'taur than LD being tortured. Better he than... Jack. 

“The question is not if you can do this. Your life depends on how well you can do this. How good you will be. How pleasuring,” an impatient voice coming from the door startled him. 

Daniel spun around. “You must be Mora'i.”

The man frowned. “Yes, of course I am. My first advice; if you desire to live you will do as you are told.” 

Daniel wasn't sure what he had expected, but somehow he'd thought Mora'i was just another guard who was going to slap him around and force him into some weird clothes. Mora'i did wear Ba'al's tattoo, but he was dressed in simple burgundy robes instead of Jaffa armor. His hair was graying at the temples and his olive face was lined and furrowed. 

“I am your Lo'taur adviser.”

“My Lo'taur adviser?” Daniel echoed, trying to imagine what exactly Mora'i wanted to teach him. Etiquette? How to serve tea? How to overcome the urge to kill his new master? 

“Yes. I have been Lo'taur adviser for many years.” There was a distinct note of pride in the Jaffa's voice. 

“I'm Daniel,” he introduced himself. 

Mora'i gave Daniel a gamey grin. “Ahhh, such blue eyes. You are a special one. He will want to keep you alive.” 

“Thanks. That's... comforting.” 

“Your proper training will start later. You must hurry now. Whatever you do, always keep your head lowered unless the dis'tra wishes you to look at him. Never speak out of turn unless the dis'tra permits you to talk.”

“Dis'tra, that's...”

“Master.”

“Master, yes, of course.”

“You will bath and shave,” Mora'i continued. “There are bathing oils here. I will bring towels. Do you need help with the shaving?” 

Daniel blinked. “Shave.” 

He was pretty sure he knew what was expected of him, but hope springs eternal and all that...

“Everywhere but your head. Do you need help or not? You do not have much time. He is impatient to have you by his side,” Mora'i said with the same authority in his voice Daniel knew from Bra'tac. 

Not that Bra'tac had ever ordered him to 'bath and shave'.

“No, I won't need help.”

Mora'i raised his eyebrows. “You have done this before? You can do it properly?”

“Yes.” 

“Good. Use this before you take your bath.” Mora'i picked one of the flasks. “Rub it into your skin, everywhere but your neither regions. You will have to use the razor for those. It will remove most of your body hair during the bath, especially on your back. But check yourself and make sure you are smooth.”

Daniel took the small bottle and turned it over in his hands. 

“I will leave you to your bath now. Hurry. And do not miss any hair.” With that Mora'i shuffled out the door. 

“Right,” he muttered once he was left alone for the moment. “Taking a bath. Sure. Why not.” 

He crossed the luxury bathroom and approached the tub. Yep, he could do this. Even if Ba'al was going to claim him in every sense of the way. He'd cope. Later. When all was said and done. He'd deal with it then. Not now. Now he'd just do what he had to keep LD safe. 

Bathe. Shave. Putting on whatever Ba'al wanted him to wear. Being the pretty boy. The Lo'taur.

Disgusting, yes, but doable.

He reached out and touched a serpent-shaped faucet. Warm water poured into the tub, filling it fast. Putting the flask Mora'i had given him aside for the moment, Daniel picked up one of the other bottles. He found no writings on it, but when he opened it the room filled with a heavy scent of incense. He added a small amount to the gurgling water and watched as bubbles formed. 

Mora'i returned carrying an armful of fluffy looking towels in the color of red wine – or blood. He placed them on a small stool next to the tub. 

“Have you trained many Lo'taur?” Daniel asked, curiosity getting the better of him. 

“Yes, and I was also Lo'taur to Sokar when I was young. Lord Ba'al defeated one of Sokar's fleets and therefore all Jaffa and servants on the ship went into Lord Ba'al's service. I was not to Lord Ba'al's liking, but he used his magic to turn me into a Jaffa and then made me Lo'taur adviser. Later, he took great joy in the son of my sister.”

“He turned you into a Jaffa? So you're not born Jaffa?” Daniel frowned. “Of course not. Lo'taurs are not Jaffa. They're human.” 

“No, I was not born with the gift of nursing prim'tas. Neither is the rest of my family.”

“That _gift_ only makes you more dependent on your master,” Daniel pointed out.

Mora'i ignored what he had said and went on. “Jerome, my sister's son, had blue eyes, like you. His father was from a different world than my family. He was fair-skinned and blue-eyed. He and my sister produced beautiful children. Many of them were chosen to serve Lord Ba'al on his homeworld. He was mesmerized by Jerome and chose him to become his Lo'taur. He served him many years.” 

“You must be very proud,” Daniel said dryly. 

“It is a great honor to become a Lo'taur. And Lord Ba'al is powerful and almighty. However, a Lo'taur should be chosen young so that he can grow into his duties and understand the honor.” Mora'i shook his head indignantly. “The dis'tra will complain to me about you, maybe punish me for your failures. He has chosen poorly. You are beautiful, yes. But you are of the Tau'ri. Your race does not submit well. And you have the shol'va with you.”

“Teal'c.”

“Do not speak his name!”

“I'm sorry, but... don't you want to be free? Don't you want to do whatever you want whenever you want? Go wherever you want?” 

“Blasphemy. You go on talking like this and our god will kill you no matter how blue and pretty your eyes are,” Mora'i spat. “Get ready! I will return with clothes if I can find any that will do a Lo'taur justice. Then you may bring your friends food before the dis'tra awaits you for his tea ceremony!”

With that Mora'i left the room quickly.

Daniel took a calming breath and began to strip, hoping he would at least be left alone until it was time to dress in whatever skimpy outfit he was forced to wear. 

Once he had applied the shaving lotion to his body, Daniel dipped a toe into the now filled tub. Not too hot, just right. The shaving lotion made his skin prickle, but it wasn't exactly an uncomfortable feeling. 

Daniel hoped Ba'al had some good razors. 

He knew how to do it. He'd done it before sometimes. Back in those days...before. Jack used to like it when his skin was smooth and soft. Jack had used to help shave him sometimes. 

Closing his mind down, Daniel stepped into the warm scented water.

***

When his muscles seemed to obey him again, Jack sat up and shook his head to clear his mind. They had dragged him back to the cargo bay and left him on the floor. 

“Oy,” he muttered holding his bowed head with both hands for a moment. It had been a while since his last close encounter with a Zat, but the synapses and nerve endings remembered all too well. 

A look at his surroundings revealed he was alone.

Not good.

When Jackson had disappeared on them Jack and Teal'c had left Carter with Daniel and gone to find him. Ba'al might have the bells and whistles to just beam whoever he wanted into the control room or wherever... but that didn't mean Jack had to stand back and allow it to happen. 

Turned out he had had little choice in the matter though. 

The Jaffa who'd been guarding the control room didn't think letting them pass was an option and since they'd been armed while Jack and Teal'c were not, they had won the argument. At least one of the Jaffa had been willing to inform them his master should be in his throne room. 

A throne room? And here Jack thought nothing regarding these overdressed slimy snakes could surprise him anymore. A _throne room_. Go figure. From what he used to know, the Goa'uld thrones were in the control rooms where the Great and Powerful would sit and gloat in their power. 

Not this one apparently. This one had a _throne room_.

On their way there they had run into Carter, who had reported LD had been transported out of the cargo bay, too. 

Needless to say the throne room had been guarded, too, and needless to say Jack didn't give a damn. In hindsight it had been a stupid decision he had to admit. But, for heaven's sake, both his Daniels were probably in there and Ba'al was doing god knew what to them. 

For a moment things had been looking up. Teal'c had tackled one of them while Carter and Jack had taken on the other one. Still stupid when you weren’t even carrying a knife. Hand-to-hand combat was a good thing until you were outnumbered by a patrolling group of Jaffa coming along and zatting you into a quivering mess of jell-o. 

Apparently Ba'al's ship wasn't as deserted as it seemed to be. Not exactly crowded, but manned enough to make sure Mister Kinky-outfit kept things under control. 

Crap.

Jack startled when LD returned in a flash, suddenly standing there. Whole and well. At least on the outside. 

“Hey,” Jack said, wondering if his legs had lost their pudding-like state. But before he could struggle to his feet Daniel came to him, folding into himself as he dropped into Jack's lap. Huddling against him he clutched at Jack's jacket with both hands. 

“Shhh.” Jack held him and rocked him. Like he’d used to do in those early times after the downsizing. “I've got ya. I've got ya.” 

After a while Daniel loosened the death grip on Jack's jacket. He raised his head and blinked. “I... can't... think...”

“You can't think straight? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” _God, please don't let Ba'al have hurt him again._

A head shake. A nod. Another head shake. Jack hoped those were answers to his questions. Hoped it meant Ba'al hadn't tortured him. “Daniel,” he said softly, “can you tell me where Carter and Teal'c are? Jackson?” 

He squeezed his eyes into small slits as though he could focus better that way. “Sam and Teal'c okay.” 

“Good. Jackson? You know where he is?” 

Daniel bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? For what? Daniel, what happened? Where is he? C'mon, talk to me, kiddo. I know you can do it.” 

“Lo'taur,” Daniel whispered. 

Jack knew he was supposed to know what a Lo'taur was. Had heard the word before. It meant... there was a distinct memory of Daniel in a slave outfit. Wide leather collar, tight fitting top, bare arms except for two white bracelets. Jack remembered he'd wanted to kill Jacob for even considering letting Daniel go undercover to that summit in an outfit that made him look like sex on legs. 

Lo'taur.

Slave.

But not just any slave. The highest rank any slave could reach. The personal slave. The most trusted one. The pet slave.

“Why?” Jack asked.

“Because he can,” Daniel replied. 

It made no sense. The most trusted slave? Jackson? That was a joke. And didn't Boccie have his own Lo'taur already? 

“Why him?” Jack blurted out. 

“Ba'al's game,” Daniel said flatly. 

Jack felt a shiver running down his spine. 

Daniel leaned his forehead against Jack's chest. “My fault,” he murmured.

“No. It's not your fault,” Jack assured him. “It may be Ba'al's twisted sense of humor, but it's not your fault.” 

When there was no further reaction to this, Jack knew the kid had gone AWOL again in his mind. With a sigh he turned LD around and settled the pliant body between his outstretched legs. Wrapping his arms around Daniel's shoulders, Jack waited for him to come back. 

He didn't have to wait long. A shudder went through the kid, then he struggled and squirmed until Jack let go of him. Daniel scrambled to his feet and went back to his pile of tools and other equipment. He started rummaging around, absently mumbling Ancient words Jack didn't understand. 

Jack watched as Daniel began to build... something. His small hands stuck wires together. He put on a pair of goggles and soldered pieces, connected the naquadah generator to the wires and cables, attached some kind of remote. 

Jack stood and started to pace the room. 

_Lo'taur._

What that meant he didn't even want to know. 

Yet, it was all his mind seemed to be able to focus on.

What exactly was the definition of personal slave here? He considered asking LD, but Daniel was caught in his own world of Ancient mambo jambo, too far gone to focus on anything but the job he had to do. Whatever that was. 

Yu hadn't touched him back then. At least Daniel had never said anything. Right. Daniel probably wouldn’t have said anything either way. But he'd never _acted_ as if anything like that had happened. That, and Fraiser would have known after his post mission physical. Doctor/patient confidence only went so far. If he'd been raped by a Goa'uld she'd have been forced to report it. And besides...Jack had joked he’d wanted Daniel to keep the outfit and Daniel had said Jack would be the one wearing it. They had goofed around about it. Nope, Yu never touched him. Jack would have known if he had.

So, being a Lo'taur didn't necessarily involve being a bed slave, right? Maybe Ba'al just needed someone to dress him, serve tea, or feed him grapes, or whatever the snakes ate? Jackson could handle that. Maybe a good way to pry some intel out of Ba'al. Find out what he was really after. There had to be a price to pay for the hospitality. 

Jack could live with the feeding grapes and serving tea scenario. He could live with a lot of crap as long as they'd come out of it okay. As long as the price Daniel – both of them - had to pay wasn't too high.

Daniel looked up and gazed at him intensely. It was the most alert he'd appeared since Ba'al had kidnapped him. “Go,” he said simply. 

Yes, he had to go. Had to find Jackson to make sure he was okay. But he also had to stay here to make sure Ba'al didn't get any ideas about paying the little one a visit. 

“I'm not leaving you alone in here,” Jack said sharply. 

Then again, if Ba'al was occupied with the grown-up version right now... making sure his new Lo'taur was getting familiar with his duties...

Where the hell were Carter and Teal'c? 

Daniel sighed and almost sounded like his usual stubborn self when he said, “Fine here. Go.” 

Was it always going to be like this, Jack wondered, having to decide which of the two needed him more in twisted life threatening situations like this? Even after the kid was re-sized? How was he going to manage that... how was he going to make decision like this for years to come? 

_I need a clone_ , he thought with dark humor. _Would take care of a lot of other things, too._

In this case the decision was taken out of Jack's hands as the door opened and Ba'al's new Lo'taur entered, carrying a tray loaded with food. The tray was put on the ground and then they just stood there facing each other. 

Jack's jaw hit the floor. And when he'd picked it up again, blazing blue eyes prevented him from saying something, anything, utterly stupid. Once the first moment of stunned disbelief - and being blindsided by bare skin and silver polished naquadah plates – had passed, Jack added one more point to his list of reasons to kill Ba'al as soon as he got the opportunity. 

Slowly. 

“Son of a bitch,” Jack snarled, his eyes registering every little detail - like the shaved chest, arms and abs. 

He was sure not only the visible parts of Jackson's body were hairless and smooth. And yes, Jack knew exactly what he looked like under those jeans. Could tell where the appendix scar was, remembered the feel of velvet skin under his hands. Knew where any trace of hair had carefully been removed. Daniel only used to shave like this for Jack, had only allowed Jack to shave him like this if he'd been in the mood. It had been a rare treat. The most intimate thing between them; one of the most cherished memories Jack had had of his lover from before the downsizing. It had been about lust, yes, but also - and maybe even more so - about trust, love and belonging. 

And Ba'al had befouled it, had destroyed its purity. 

God knew what else Ba'al had done to him. 

“ _Daniel,_ ” Jack said flatly, while raving on the inside. 

“Apparently this is the latest Lo'taur fashion.” 

Jack saw his own rage mirrored in those dark blue eyes before him, paired with a quick flash of humiliation about being displayed like this. Yet, Jackson's voice was soft when he whispered, “You know it doesn't mean anything. Don't let him do this to you. To us.” 

Yes, it meant something. It meant Ba'al had forced him. Had probably _done_ this to him. Against his will. There was another feeling simmering underneath his worry for Jackson; a nasty snarling boost of possessiveness Jack didn’t like one bit. 

This wasn’t about him. He’d better not make it about him. 

He focused on his worry. 

“Did he...” _Touch you? Hurt you?_

Jackson shook his head There was even the shadow of a grim smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “At least I didn't cut myself since I had no help with this.” 

“So, he didn't...”

“No.”

Jack could breathe more freely. For now. But the journey to Taonas was far from over. Forget the grape feeding and tea serving. This was bad. Very very bad.

“What's that... stuff?“ Jack reached out to touch a shimmering bronze bicep, then snatched his hand back, almost afraid of really touching. Something had been applied to his skin, making it look all shiny. 

“Apparently it's an affect of the bubble bath,” Jackson said calmly. He was still wearing his washed-out gray jeans and Jack remembered how he'd sneaked a peek at his ass this morning because they were kinda tight. Now Jack almost wished for the times when baggy pants and shirts used to be the guy's choice of clothes. Then again, Ba'al would have come up with something else for him to wear. So these jeans were better than... whatever. 

Jackson cleared his throat and pointed at the tray. “I found sandwiches in one of the other cargo bays. Ba'al beamed up MRE and lunch bags, too. I was ordered to feed you.” He took a step closer and lowered his voice again. “Look, I know you're probably thinking up a dozen ways to kill him, but right now we need to play along. He made it perfectly clear he'll torture the kid if we get in his way.” 

Jack's jaw twitched. “Over my dead body. And you are not going back to that dickhead.”

“Jack...”

“No. No way. You’re staying right here. He wants you? He can come and try getting you.” 

“First he'll grab the kid and do god knows what to him. He's just going to beam Daniel out of here and there's nothing you can do about it. I have to go back and you know it,” Jackson snapped. After a moment of heavy silence he added more softly, “He's playing mind games, Jack. Don't give him any satisfaction by losing it. You can do better than that.”

Jackson was right. They were outnumbered and unarmed. And Ba'al was using the kid like personal insurance. 

_That, and everything else he had over them. Like that nifty, brand new body shield thingy. Let's not forget about that._ _Taonas. Bracelets. Killing Anubis. Don't lose sight of what's at stake here, O'Neill._ He repeated that mantra in his head until his blood pressure dropped a couple of notches. 

“When he beamed Daniel out of here...” Jack began.

“He didn't hurt him. But he made sure – again - I knew he would. How do you think he got me to comply to... this?” Jackson waved a hand at his new appearance. The bracelet on his wrist shimmered golden in the soft light emitted by the wall lamps. Aside from its deadly purpose, yet another eye catcher. 

“I know that,” Jack said irritated. “I don't have to like it.” 

“I'll keep him at arm's length.”

“You better.” Question was, could he? 

Jackson rolled his eyes. “You're not obsessing over this, are you? He's so not my type.”

“He won't care about whether he's your type or not,” Jack said darkly, trying not to gnash his teeth. 

“I'll be fine.”

Having no choice but to drop it for now Jack checked his watch. “Forty-eight hours to get there, grab the thingamajig and get back. It's been sixteen hours, thirty five minutes. We need to go faster.” 

The less opportunity Ba'al had to make use of his new Lo'taur the better.

“I heard Sam is at the engine room. Maybe she knows how to crank up the engines. Teal'c has the helm and Ba'al is with him, probably gloating over the fact the shol'va is serving him.” 

“You know, I really hate that. That gloating thing they're always doing,” Jack grumbled.

“It's as close as they get to... happiness, I guess.” Jackson turned away and knelt down by mini-him. 

Daniel had just been sitting there gazing at them, his hands wrapped around the naquadah generator. He seemed to have zoned out again because his eyes had gone blank. 

Jackson touched his shoulder. “Tua indeeo essum, Daniel.” When there was no reaction he looked back at Jack. “Make sure he eats.”

As if Jack needed telling how to feed a Daniel. He was about to pick up one of the sandwiches when the door swished open and Carter entered. Jack didn't like the way her forehead was crinkled. He saw foreshadowing of bad news. 

“Carter,” he drawled. “Tell me something positive. That's an order.”

She gave him a chagrined smile. “Well, the good news is that we'll reach the planet in approximately twenty minutes, sir. But if we continue to go at this speed, we risk some of the crystals burning out before we reach Earth.”

“There's a replacement set of crystals, right?” Jack asked.

“Yes, there is, but many of the crystals have already been replaced because we're going way too fast even for a Ha'tak. On the other hand, we can't slow down much because of the time frame. We have no idea what kind of weapon we're looking for, or how much of a head start we need to make it work once Anubis shows up. And there's the possibility he'll be there earlier than Ba'al told us. Depending on how much time we need on Proclarush...” 

“All right, bottom line this for me. Some crystals burning out means... what?”

“It means we might have to drop out of hyperspace on our way back.”

“Oy.”

“Yes, sir, very... oh, MY GOD.” Her eyes grew big as saucers at Jackson's new look, and apparently weren't able to catch up with her brain as she kept staring at him in disbelief and blatant fascination.

“Meet the new Lo'taur,” Jack said dryly. 

“What? Why?” 

“Ba'al needs a servant. His former Lo'taur fell into the hands of Anubis. He needs you in the engine room and Teal'c is Jaffa so he doesn't have the right to be Lo'taur. Apparently Jack doesn't meet Ba'al's, ah, standards. So I'm the obvious choice,” Jackson rattled, his voice clipped. 

“Holy Hannah,” Carter murmured. “Uh, is that a Jaffa armor collar? It looks a bit... tight.”

“Yes,” Jackson said darkly. “Cut off from the rest and without the helmet. And no, it's not comfortable. Can we please focus on something else? There's food.” He waved at the tray with sandwiches sitting on the floor.

“Yes. Yes, of course. Sorry. It's just that...” 

“Carter,” Jack snapped. “Focus!”

She flushed pink and pried her eyes away. “Uh, yes, sir. A sandwich sounds good.”

“I need to return to _my master_. He's in the control room and acquires my assistance. Meaning I'll have to stand around and look good while he's ogling my... me,” Jackson said stiffly. 

It was Carter who said, “Be careful, Daniel.” 

If they were alone Jack might have said something flippant like; _just remember your ass is mine._ To cover up what he really wanted to say.Instead he watched Jackson stalk out and resisted the urge to go after him and have another run at Ba'al and his blasted body shield.

Why didn't they bring C4? Grenades? 

_Taonas_ , he thought again, gritting his teeth. _Killing Anubis. Big picture._

And last but not least... _Bracelets_. 

No C4. No grenades.

“O-kay, kids,” he said with forced enthusiasm. “Let's eat.”

*******

Daniel slipped quietly into the control room and took position behind Ba'al's left shoulder. A good Lo'taur, so he remembered, was always there but never drew any attention to himself. 

Teal'c had the helm and two guards were standing left and right of the main screen. Ba'al was lounging in the command chair looking bored. He didn't turn his eyes from the main screen as he addressed Daniel. “You were to deliver the food and return immediately.” 

“I had trouble finding the right crates,” he balled his hands into fists behind his back as he added, “my lord.”

Ba'al smirked. “I will have to train you properly once this mission is over.”

“You should find someone more suitable for this... honor,” Daniel said quietly.

“Ah, but I am enjoying a challenge.”

“If you think so, my lord.” He knew he was walking on thin ice here, but he couldn't help it.

Ba'al waved at him. “Step before me. I want to see you.” 

Daniel moved to stand in front of Ba'al. He expected to be told to kneel again, but Ba'al just fixed smoldering eyes on him and murmured with appreciation, “Yes. Just as I imagined. A good choice. I will inspect you more closely soon.” 

“We have reached orbit of Proclarush Taonas,” Teal'c informed them. If his usually sharp ears had picked up Ba'al's words he didn't let it show and Daniel was grateful for that.

“Scan the entire surface,” Ba'al ordered, his voice now businesslike. 

Daniel exhaled slowly and went back to his previous spot. 

“The surface seems to be covered in lava. There is no life there,” Teal'c said stoically. 

Ba'al snapped his fingers. “Daniel, get the boy and the others.”

  
  


As soon as they entered the control room Little Daniel crossed the room to stand beside Teal'c and touched a couple of sensors. A holo screen opened and he marked a spot on it. 

“Taonas,” he said.

Sam, who had followed him, leaned over his shoulder to have a closer look at the screen. “There's a small anomaly on the surface. Like a bubble.”

“Is it a cavern?” Teal'c asked.

“Surely the Ancients had better accommodations than caverns,” Ba'al muttered.

No one paid attention to him. 

“It looks like a perfectly formed half sphere of molten rock. There are no energy readings, though. Daniel? Is that why you took the Hazmat suits?” Sam asked.

He nodded and pointed at Jack. “Tua egressus Taonas.”

“He wants you to go down there,” Daniel translated at Jack's quizzical look. 

“I think we should all go,” Sam said.

“Indeed,” Teal'c agreed.

LD shook his head. “Jack first.” 

“And once I'm there... what do I do?” Jack asked.

LD seemed to think about it for a moment. “Find chair. Think...air.” 

Daniel could see he was struggling for more words, was trying to explain. There was no Hazmat suit in the kid's size or he'd most likely have insisted on going with Jack. LD looked pained in his effort to break through the process of Ancient override. 

Daniel didn't ask Ba'al's permission to leave his spot; he stepped forward and crouched in front of his little version. “Ego vertere. Ut una lingua.” 

LD took a deep breath. At first the words still wouldn't flow, but once he had forced the first two sentences out he seemed to grow more confident and the Ancient words came easier and more fluently. 

Daniel listened and nodded encouragingly but didn't interrupt. 

When LD had finished Daniel patted the boy's shoulder and stood, facing Jack. “You have to go down and find a chair. It will recognize your Ancient gene and activate. You have to concentrate on breathable air. Once that's done, Daniel and I will join you and guide you through the rest of it.”

“I did not give you permission to leave the ship,” Ba'al snapped.

It was Big Daniel's turn to take a deep breath, if for different reasons than mini-him. “I need to go with the kid because of the bracelets. And Jack doesn't understand Ancient.” At Ba'al's raised eyebrows, he added through gritted teeth, “My Lord.” 

“What else did the boy say?” Ba'al inquired.

“That he's losing the grasp of how to speak English. He still understands, but it's getting harder for him to talk anything but Ancient. He also said there isn't much time, which I happen to agree with, my lord,” Daniel explained coolly.

“Then I suggest you continue,” Ba'al said dismissively. “O’Neill, don the suit and you will be transported to the surface. You should be able to communicate with the ship through your suit's radio.” He waved at one of the guards. “Take him to the ring room. We don't want him to stray elsewhere.”

“Where're the Hazmat suits?” Jack asked. 

“Cargo bay, where the MRE boxes are,” Daniel translated when LD had provided the information. 

“Keep the door open,” Jack said. His eyes rested on the kid for a moment, then he turned abruptly and left, followed by the guard. 

***

Once Jack had put on the suit he was escorted to the rings. Apparently only Ba'al had control over the Asgard technology and his Jaffa weren't allowed to use it. No surprise there. He stepped onto the platform and hoped he wasn't going to screw it up by not being able to connect with this chair. 

Confidence was the word of the day. 

He materialized in a dark chamber, his only illumination the flashlight he carried with him. Teal'c hadn't been so far off. It looked suspiciously like a cavern. As he made his way through a wide tunnel he dodged stalagmites and piled up rubble of lose stones. 

_Here comes the Great Wizard of the Caves of the Wind_ , Jack thought as he moved through the silent dome. The Daniels would probably be in awe over the fact Jack was the first person in god knew how many millions of years to set foot in here. 

The tunnel opened into a large cavern. Surrounded by what seemed to be a dim red glow, Jack made out an object in the far corner. As he stepped closer, he knew he had found the chair Daniel had talked about. It sat on a pedestal like a throne; high backed and with armrests that ended in oval flat pads for the hands. 

Jack activated his in-suit radio. “I found the chair.”

“Your Major Carter has measured high rates of radioactivity. I suggest you make this quick,” Ba'al's voice came over the speaker. 

“Your concern for my well being is heartwarming,” Jack snarked.

“I have plans for you, O'Neill,” Ba'al replied smoothly. 

“Yeah, like what?” Jack stepped on the pedestal and poked the chair with his right boot. Nothing happened. It sat there dead and dark. 

“You will find out soon enough. Continue.”

Carefully, as though it might blow up any minute – and really, who knew if it wouldn't - Jack settled down. As soon as his butt touched the seat the whole chair and the area around it lit up in a ghostly blue. Jack forced himself not to jump. Daniel had said to sit here and let it happen, but damn he still wasn't sure what to make of these Ancient doohickeys springing to live without an on or off switch. 

He lowered his left hand onto the pad. There was a crystal-like, gelatinous substance in the middle where his palm fit in. 

Jack thought of breathable atmosphere. There was that pull of energy again he had experienced before. Something in the air around him seemed to shift and he knew he'd succeeded.

Taking off the suit's helmet he took a deep breath of stale air. “It's done.” 

“I will send the child and my Lo'taur down. Do not try to cross me in any way or the other half of your unit will die,” Ba'al said sharply.

“Always with the death threats,” Jack muttered. 

He walked back the way he had come and reached the ring platform just as the Daniels arrived. The little one simply wrapped his arms around Jack's middle and hugged him hard while Jackson took a look around the cavern. “Architecture definitely indicates this was built by the Ancients,” he mumbled.

“Yep, no Ikea style.” Jack ruffled Daniel's hair. “Wanna see the bells and whistles, kiddo?”

Daniel pulled back and nodded. He took Jack's hand as they made their way back to the chair room. 

When they entered the cavern Daniel's eyes grew wide and he let go of Jack's hand. Walking around he soaked everything up like a sponge. Not that there was much to look at as far as Jack was concerned, but the kid seemed mesmerized nevertheless. So was the big version. 

“This place must be millions of years old,” Jackson whispered in awe. “There have to be other rooms.” 

Ba’al had granted Big Daniel boots, but no jacket or shirt for this trip. His bare chest and back gleamed with a red hue due to the weird diffuse red light down here. 

“And we'll focus on this one for now,” Jack cut him off, knowing his archeologist's habit of getting carried away. “All right, kids, what am I supposed to do next?”

LD patted the chair and, when Jack settled into it, started talking in Ancient again. Jackson said, “He wants to show us something first. Try to, uh, picture a star map of our galaxy.”

Jack pressed his palm into the gelatinous mass as he formulated what he wanted in his mind. The chair swiveled backwards and immediately a holographic star map appeared above his head, in constant rotation so they could look at it from all angles.

“Looks like every planet the Ancients ever colonized is indicated here,” Jackson said.

Daniel raised a hand and pointed at one of the light dots in the hologram. 

“This is where we are. Proclarush,” Jackson said.

Daniel gazed at the map for a moment, then said, “Sol.”

Intuitively getting what the kid meant Jack touched the gel again and the map zeroed in on a very familiar part of the galaxy. Well, this was actually kind of cool. Maybe he'd get used to playing with these Ancient thingamajigs after all. 

“The solar system.” Jackson frowned. “That's odd.” 

“Terra,” LD said. 

Jack moved his hand and the projection zoomed further in to...

“Earth? That's... Earth, yes. Daniel, why are you showing us this?” Jackson sounded really puzzled now. 

“Subo glacious,” Daniel said.

“Under the ice?”Jackson waved at the map. “Are you saying what we're looking for isn't here but on Earth in...”

“Antarctica.” 

“Antarctica? You've got to be kidding me. Did I mention before how much I hate that place?” Jack griped. 

Daniel started talking fast to Jackson, who listened and translated. “Think, uh... energy. Power source. I can't translate the word literally, but he wants you to take an energy device of some sort. A huge... uh... cluster of crystals. And it's here, not in Antarctica. He said the map was only to show us where to go next.”

The kid walked over to the edge of the pedestal and knelt down there. Jack found another dent in the gel stuff, pressed it and the star map vanished as the chair swiveled back into its starter position. He grabbed his helmet and joined the Daniels who were now both crouching and looking at a point on the ground. 

Daniel said something which Jackson translated as, “It's in the ground. You'll have to put your helmet back on. Once you remove the device this place will lose its power. I guess that means we have to go now.” 

Jack pursed his lips and looked from one of his Daniels to the other. “What's going to happen next? We’re going to Antarctica and... what?” 

Daniel shook his head. “Nullus tempus. Festina.”

“Hurry,” Jackson provided unnecessarily.

“We need to figure out a way to make Ba'al talk about these bracelets before we get there,” Jack said. 

“The best way is to take the body shield off him and leave him to Teal'c,” Jackson replied thoughtfully. “I bet Teal'c is going to make him talk. The Goa'uld like inflicting pain, but they're not much into feeling it themselves.”

“Yeah, but to do that you'd have to get close enough...” Jack gave him a hard look. “Don't even think about it.”

“He kind of likes me,” Jackson pointed out with a shrug.

“We'll find another way.” 

“Could be our only chance.”

“The answer's no. No way in hell.” The only reason Jack kept his voice down was LD, who was looking from Jack to Jackson and back to Jack with huge eyes. 

Jackson opened his mouth to argue the point, when Ba'al's voice snarled out of the radio. “What is taking you so long?” 

“We're on it,” Jack said, still glowering at Jackson.

“Have you found the device?”

“Almost.”

“Colonel, do not make me wait. I still have two members of your team here and they are very disposable,” Ba'al said snidely. “And do not forget that your whole planet depends on your return in time.”

Jack grimaced. “Thanks for reminding me. Time flies when you're having fun.” He looked at his Daniels. “You better go now.”

Daniel took his right hand and guided it to hover over the ground. 

“Okay,” Jack said and the kid let go. They left without another word. 

Jack donned his helmet. He didn't have to wait long before Ba'al informed him the Daniels were back on board and he could proceed. He moved his hand, palm down, to hover over the spot LD had indicated. An agonizing uneventful moment passed. Then a cluster of orange crystals, tied together in some kind of frame, emerged out of the ground. 

“Hel-lo,” Jack murmured as he closed his hands around it and pulled it out. 

A thundering crash and dust rippling from the ceiling, followed by pieces of rock, was his cue to leave. 

**IV**

Jack could _feel_ the whole place crumbling and falling into itself as he was ringed up. As soon as the rings fell back into the ship's floor he was eye to eye with a staff. Holding out his hand expectantly, Ba'al's first prime stepped forward. “Give me the power source.”

“Easy, fella.” Jack pushed the staff aside with one indignant finger. “Shoot me and this thing goes, too. Always careful with energy doohickeys.”

“As you wish,” the Jaffa said with a menacing smile. 

Jack avoided the blow to his head, but when he spun around a ribbon device blindsided him and he went down, the crystals slipping from his grip. They were taken from him before they hit the ground along with him.

“Stubborn,” Ba'al's voice floated through the fog of pain. “Put him in a holding cell with the boy. We don't need them for now.”

***

Daniel sniffed the jar containing tea leaves and was surprised at the strong similarity to Egyptian Koshary; a black tea popular in Lower Egypt. He used the small silver tongs to pick leaves from the jar and put them into a bowl of finest china. On a stove next to him, the kettle started whistling as the water began to boil. Carefully, Daniel removed it from the fire and poured water over the leaves in the bowl. He added a powdery brown substance as sweetener and stirred with a silver spoon. A small bowl with green leaves stood ready on the table by the stove. He added two of the leaves to float on the tea, the rich scent of fresh mint-flavored Koshary bringing back memories of Egypt; oddly consoling, like a single ray of sun on a dark clouded day.

He wondered if Ba'al had tea plantations on some of the planets he ruled over. He couldn't have acquired the tea leaves from Earth, so he probably obtained them from planets with similar fauna. The anthropologist in Daniel wondered about how much of his Egyptian host's way of life Ba'al had integrated into his own daily routine. Which led to the question how the host had acquired the symbiote. Ba'al had been one of Ra's servants as far as Daniel knew. But had his host already been a slave of Ra? 

Scowling at the bowl of tea as he put it on the tray, Daniel thought he shouldn't be intrigued by any aspect of Ba'al's life. Yet, here he was preparing tea for a being - and he refused to think of Ba'al as a man - that had been alive for over two thousand of years. Had actually been part of ancient Egypt once, had lived in those times and then had encountered other planets long before Earth citizens had even thought about space travel. Living history. Evil, twisted and nothing more than a parasite in a human's body – but still a living personification of ancient Egypt.

There were others, of course. Yu, representing a great ruler of ancient China's Xia Dynasty, was the oldest system lord alive. Whether he had really resided on Earth at that time or was just impersonating the great emperor was another story. But Daniel was an Egyptologist and therefore was particularly torn about Ba'al. He didn't want to talk to him. Didn't want to be near him any longer than absolutely necessary. Yet, there was an almost perverse curiosity. A scientific thirst for knowledge. 

He lifted the tray and padded out of the kitchen – another area of a Ha'tak he hadn't entered before – the soles of his bare feet making no sound on the polished black floor. Ba'al had only allowed him to wear his boots when he'd ringed down to Proclarush. Whether the bare feet rule was a fetish of the Goa'uld, or done to make him feel even more vulnerable Daniel didn't know and preferred not to find out. 

His stomach twisted into hard knots as he approached Ba'al's quarters. The kitchen area was a small backroom, accessible through the bed chamber and a large storage room that doubled as a pantry. Mora'i had shown him where everything was. He had given Daniel clear instructions on how to behave during the tea ceremony. After a last brief summary on how to serve the tea, he had left Daniel to his fate and told him he would be back later. 

As he used the door leading into the bedroom, Daniel passed a pair of heavy red curtains. Not able to resist the temptation to find out what might be hidden there, he brushed against the heavy fabric with his elbow, causing them to move and giving him a glimpse inside. Fitted into a niche stood Ba'al's sarcophagus. On the wall above it hung a bronze battle axe similar to those used in ancient Egypt. Its blade was ornamented, as was the handle. But Daniel didn't have time to take a closer look. 

Ba'al was lounging on the chaise. His black coat was on the bed waiting to be put away. Even without particularly looking Daniel had to notice the tight-fitting, silver tank top revealing a honed, sculptured body. Yet, even aware of Ba'al's attractiveness, Daniel was repelled and felt his skin curl at the mere thought of being close to the Goa'uld.

“The tea, my lord,” he said with as much subservience as he could muster. Keeping his head lowered, he waited close to the door he had just stepped through.

“You may serve it,” Ba'al said. “And you may join me.”

Great. Just what he had always dreamed of. A private tea ceremony with the devil himself. He crossed the room and placed the tray on the carved table, then took a step back and went down on one knee, his head lowered. 

“Rise,” Ba'al ordered. “As my Lo'taur you will have the honor of the first sip.”

“Do you fear I am trying to poison you, my lord?” Daniel asked smoothly as he came to his feet.

“Trust has to be earned, Daniel,” Ba'al said lightly. “I heard you are cunning in your own way.” He bowed his head invitingly. “Drink.”

Daniel approached the table and raised the bowl to his lips. As he tasted the hot sweet liquid, the similarity to Koshary amazed him again. It was good. 

At a gesture of his _master_ he handed the bowl to Ba'al. As their fingers touched Daniel almost let go of it. Ba'al's fingertips were hot and dry. Strange associations with hot quicksand and venomous scorpions flashed through his mind. 

Ba'al drank and arched a shapely plucked eyebrow. “You know how to make tea. A good start.” He picked up one of the crimson throw pillows from the chaise and tossed it to the floor. “Kneel.” 

Daniel swallowed a remark involving a couple of colorful words. Instead he knelt on the thick cushion by the table. Like a pet. At his feet. 

_Don't think. Don't feel. And when it gets worse, shut it all out._

Bowing his head, he waited for further instructions as Ba'al continued to sip his tea. 

“You must have questions,” Ba'al said after an eternal stretch of silence. “Mora'i will teach you well. But since you have not been raised to be a Lo'taur I will give you permission to ask them now.”

This was his chance to open a conversation, to find out what it was Ba'al wanted. Maybe not right away. But if he played his cards right, Ba'al might be lulled into false confidence, believing Daniel had accepted his future as a personal slave. 

“You won't get away with this,” was what came out of his mouth instead, in a calm, deadly voice, barely covering the anger burning beneath the surface.

 _Bad move, Jackson,_ he thought, groaning mentally. 

But to his surprise Ba'al chuckled. “Oh, but I will. See, we are on our way to the Pegasus galaxy as we speak. Soon we will reach a planet close to the border of our galaxy. We will use the power source O'Neill has taken from the Ancient outpost and attach it to the chaapa'ai so it will take us the great distance to our new destination.” 

Daniel's mind needed a moment to process Ba'al's words. Forgetting the role he had been assigned to, and dismissing everything Mora'i had taught him so far, he raised his head and stared at the Goa'uld. 

“You never intended to go back to Earth,” he said bewildered. 

“Actually, that is not quite true. I fully intended to use the boy's knowledge to get rid of Anubis once and for all. He is a nuisance at best. But when I discovered the location of an Ancient city in another galaxy I changed my plans. Anubis can have Earth as far as I'm concerned. May he bask in his victory for awhile. I have higher goals now.”

“What kind of... goals?” Daniel needed to keep him talking. He needed intel. He needed a plan. Fast. 

Ba'al reached out and it took all of Daniel's willpower not to jerk away when a febrile hand brushed through his hair and fingertips trailed down his temple, to his jawline and further down his throat. “You will know soon enough.”

Daniel swallowed, trying to ignore the slight pressure on his pulse point before the hand was removed. 

“You are condemning the whole galaxy to die or be enslaved by Anubis. Even your own territory will be lost. All you have built... or had built by others... your whole empire. You're willing to let all of that fall into Anubis' hands for an Ancient city you don't even know exists anymore? It might be deserted and uninhabitable like Taonas. And even if there are still living Ancients... what makes you think they'll welcome you and allow you to stay and rule over them?” 

The hand that had just touched him with almost tenderness lashed out fast, leaving Daniel no time to reel away as it hit him across the face with enough force to knock him sideways against the table. He bit his tongue hard to suppress a painful yell. The china clattered, but didn't break. 

“I do not expect you to really believe I am your god, Daniel, but you will still not speak out of turn and you will address me properly.”

He swallowed down another curse as he resumed his position at Ba'al's feet, trying to ignore the throbbing pain on the left side of his face. “Yes, my lord.”

 _Keep him happy_ , he thought desperately. _Keep him happy and talking. THINK._

Where were Jack and the others? Did they already know they weren't going back to Earth? 

“The city is deserted. It had been abandoned a long time ago,” Ba'al said after a pause, apparently still in the mood to discuss the subject. “There was an enemy the Ancients could not defeat.”

“And what if that enemy is still there, my lord?” 

“I am taking my chances.” 

“You don't have a fleet, my lord.” 

“The city will be able to defend itself with O'Neill's help. It lies at the bottom of an ocean, but he will rouse it. I am going to make him my first prime. I know, he will not appreciate the honor right away, but I am sure I can make him see reason.” 

Daniel felt the blood drain from his face, but he was determined to use Ba'al's current communicativeness to his advantages. “I am impressed.”

“Are you?” 

“Yes, my lord.”

Ba'al snorted. “I think not. But tell me anyway; why are you impressed?”

“You must have a grand master plan.” Daniel's gaze was fixed on the bowl of tea. “If I may speak freely, my lord...” 

“Speak.”

“None of the other system lords would be ambitious enough to conquer another galaxy. That's unique and so I'm... impressed. Amazed, actually.” Was that too much gushing? 

“Go on.”

“I just never met a system lord this... clever. That's all. It kind of breaks the cliché of the Goa'uld being vain and evil, but not very bright.” Daniel knew he was risking another blow, but it never came.

“Are you attracted by power, Daniel?” Ba'al asked silkily. “By luxury?”

“Most people are,” Daniel said carefully. 

“As my Lo'taur you are entitled to certain standards and luxury. Once I have a foothold in my new domain, you will be able to choose your own staff to delegate certain duties. You will be my most entrusted slave, and therefore you will gain knowledge of my plans and proceedings. If you turn out to be truly trustworthy you will be allowed to have your own quarters and a personal aid who will see to your needs. Which will give you more time to see to my... needs.”

Daniel bit his lip. _Here goes..._ “What exactly are your needs, my lord?”

“I have many. I have not had a Lo'taur as beautiful as you are in a very long time,” Ba’al said and Daniel was surprised, and disconcerted, by the sudden softness in his voice. “I am curious to find out if you are as willing and skilled as he was.”

Time to pull a couple of punches. What formulated in Daniel's head wasn't quite a plan, yet. More a hunch. An inkling. 

He had to be very careful to make it believable. He couldn't just go down, kiss Ba'al's feet, and swear undying love and worship. 

“You can't make me worship you, my lord.” He was prepared for the punishment now. He didn't even flinch when he was backhanded once more. He breathed through the pain shooting into his skull. He stayed seated and blinked away the moisture pooling in the corner of his right eye. 

“You have little choice but to worship me,” Ba'al snapped, all softness gone.

“Maybe,” Daniel ground out. He raised his eyes again to look at Ba'al. “But you can never be sure I won't betray you the first opportunity I get. I will never worship you by choice. However, we might fulfill each other's needs and drop the whole Lo'taur act.” He wiped a hand across his face, feeling the hot swelling. 

Ba'al arched his eyebrows. “You will never be my equal. You will submit yourself to me for life. Willingly. Unconditionally.” 

Daniel held the Goa'uld's gaze, but didn't reply. 

Finally Ba'al's eyes narrowed. “Tell me then. What may be valuable enough for you to serve me? I have heard of the strong bonds between the members of SG-1. And I have seen some of that in the child's mind. Is that your condition? The lives of your teammates? If that is the case you can relax. Their lives are not in danger unless they act foolishly.”

Daniel's mind was racing along with his pulse. “Make a detour to Earth. Help us defeat Anubis.”

“You must be kidding.” Ba'a let out a short laugh and shook his head. “You are bold enough to even suggest this to me? Do that again, and you will regret it.”

“I...I will go to Pegasus with you. I'll be your Lo'taur if that's what you want. But let us save our planet first. It will only be a few hours of delay.”

“I need the power source to go to Pegasus. I can not afford to lose it, or my ship, in the battle for your meaningless planet,” Ba'al said coldly. Grabbing a fistful of hair, he jerked Daniel's head back to look at him. “Enough!”

Wrong direction. Very wrong. “At least... at least promise me not to turn them into hosts. Or Jaffa. However you want to do that,” he let out a sharp painful breath, “without a queen to give you new prim'tas.”

“Oh, I have a queen,” Ba'al said, twisting his fingers in Daniel's hair.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment. “You... have?”

“Do you take me for a fool?” Another painful yank. “Of course I need a queen to build a new empire in the Pegasus galaxy. We will pick up my queen, Qetesh, soon. She will spawn many new prim'tas. We will take sarcophagi as well.” 

This was bad. And insane. And brilliant in a bad and insane way. 

“Do you have any more questions?” Ba'al growled dangerously. “Anymore conditions? Do you want me to spare your fearless leader from becoming my new first prime because he means so much to you?”

“What?” Daniel moaned. What was he talking about? Then it hit him. The mind probe. What else had Ba'al seen in LD's mind? 

“Do you not long for the touch and the,” Ba'al's mouth twitched into a nasty smirk, “ _love_ of O'Neill? I have seen it in the boy's mind.” He slowly released Daniel's hair and cupped the back of his head instead, fingers playing with the short strands.

“Ah, used to, actually,” Daniel said hoarsely. “Things change.” 

His plan had just changed as well. Hopefully for the better. Maybe for the worse. 

“Do they? How so?” 

“Jack doesn't want me anymore. We're just friends. What you saw in the kid's mind were memories from before... before he was turned into a child.”

Ba'al kept playing with his hair. “And are you sad about this, Daniel?”

“Getting used to it. Being second best. Being the odd one out. They are trying hard, but you can't ignore the fact there's one Doctor Jackson too many now. I don't belong with them. I don't blame them. It's the story of my life,” he said with a shrug.

“But he is only a child. Surely you are more useful to them? And more attractive to O’Neill?”

“Yeah, but he was there first. They hope he'll return to his normal age and size soon.”

“Once the prophecy is fulfilled,” Ba'al said thoughtfully. “Yes, that makes sense. But now that the prophecy won't be fulfilled, he will remain a child. A child with a damaged mind. Will that make you more valuable for them?”

“No, I don't think so.” 

“But you still care for them.”

“Yes, I do. If you let them go eventually, you can keep me. Maybe that's not such a bad trade,” he said quietly. “You asked if I'm attracted to power and luxury. I'm not. But there is something I value more than anything. And you could give it to me. It wouldn't cost you anything.” 

Ba'al's fingers tightened in his hair again. “Go on.” 

“Look, you made it perfectly clear you won't go back to Earth to help us against Anubis. And we have no choice but to let you take us to this Ancient city. You did what no system lord could. You defeated us. You won.” He let just enough bitterness ooze into his voice, just enough defeated resignation, to hopefully make Ba'al believe it. 

“And you are willing to accept my victory?”

“I have no choice,” Daniel repeated. 

“Then why should I care about what you want? You are at my mercy. There is no need to listen to this any longer.” 

“Okay, okay... just... give me free hand to study the Ancient city. I’m a scientist. The city holds invaluable knowledge and treasures. I want to uncover and explore them all.”

“You will share its secrets with me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You may explore to your heart's content. As long as you will obey me. You will also be held responsible for your team's cooperation You will pay dearly for any act of rebellion your precious friends may attempt.”

“Yes, my lord. There is one more thing.” He resisted the urge to rub the back of his head as he was finally released. 

Ba'al glared at him. “You are trying my patience, Daniel.”

“My highest goal is knowledge. You have lived such a long time. Please, would you tell me anything you encountered since you became a system lord? Your personal experiences of those Ancient times must be incredible. Did you really grow up in the service of Ra?” 

Ba'al's lips quirked into a knowing smile. “Maybe I will reveal some of it if you show yourself worthy.” The hand was back tracing the bruise on Daniel's face. “Make me believe you are really interested. Convince me,” Ba'al murmured.

“I will, my lord.” Daniel's steady gaze met burning black eyes. Hungry eyes. He felt goosebumps run down his bare arms and back as he was trying not to think about what he'd just gotten himself into here. 

*******

Jack lowered his hand from Little Daniel's forehead and let it drop to his shoulder. “Could have worked,” he muttered.

Great. That ancient gene was SO wasted on him. The Daniels would value it a hell of a lot more. And probably learn to hone its use to perfection pretty fast. On the other hand the Daniels would just get into a lot more trouble than they already did, so... the thingamajig gene was better off with Jack. Even though he was crap at working it. 

But he had proved, in the past, that he could heal wounds. Even infections. With the right training he'd probably even get good at it some day.... who knew? Right now, however, he could do squat with it. Or maybe the gene wasn't meant to heal brain damage. Or stop the override of the Ancient knowledge. Maybe it was the bracelet preventing him from getting through to the kid. Bottom line; the Ancient gene wasn’t going to help Jack to get his kid back. It wasn't working. 

“Daniel? Hey, buddy?” He petted a pale cheek.

Daniel looked right through him. Had looked right through him for the last hour. He didn't move. He didn't talk. When Jack would take his hand and pull him to his feet he would stand. He'd even walk around if prodded to do so, but that was about it. No interaction, no sign of awareness. 

Jack's knees reminded him they didn't appreciate his current position; crouched in front of Daniel who was sitting on the floor staring at the wall. With a suppressed groan he checked his watch. Yep, two hours and thirty minutes since Daniel had shut down. 

Twenty-seven hours thirty mins to Ground Zero.

Danny had been agitated when they'd pushed him into Jack's cell. Had talked a lot and pressed his hands against the closed door. Had wandered along the walls of the cell and worked himself up to a frenzy as he realized there was no way out. He had never yelled or cried, but his Ancient mutterings and ramblings had become more and more frantic by the minute as he'd paced the cell like a caged animal. From what Jack gathered, Daniel wanted to finish his machinus. Had to finish it in time; before they reached Earth. 

And by the way, friends and neighbors, why wasn’t Ba'al allowing him to do that? Whatever the answer to that one was, Jack had no way of figuring it out. He was locked away, cut off from the rest of his team. 

He was a sitting duck.

At least they had thrown the kid in here with him. 

Jack had tried his best to calm him down, but Daniel didn't even seem to realize he was there. He'd finally stopped Daniel from continuing his endless wanderings by sitting on the bunk and wrapping his arms around him in an attempt to keep him from totally losing it. Holding him close and talking to him had eventually done the trick and Daniel had come out of it. Or rather he had stopped panicking and instead retreated somewhere Jack had no access to.

Which was worse.

Giving Daniel a final pat to his shoulder Jack straightened, and, for the fourth time or so, climbed the bunk and examined the grill to the ventilation system. Daniel had come through one of those on Anubis's ship to free him and Jackson. But Jack could glare at it all he wanted, it could only be opened from inside the shaft. 

He was stuck in here 

With Daniel, who was stuck somewhere in his own head.

While Daniel number two was probably playing Ba'al's personal house slave. Jack refused to go there... 

Carter? Teal'c? 

He had no fucking idea.

Jack hated when they were separated by force and without radio contact. Had always hated it. He could think on his feet when he had to. He'd been trained to adapt quickly to whatever crap was dealt him. But having to sit around not knowing where his people were was the worst. Having to sit around and watch his unresponsive kid was almost unbearable.

 _Deal with it,_ he though harshly. _Nothing you can do about it now. Get comfy. Bide your time._

God, but he hated it. 

Best case scenario would be if Ba'al had just locked them all up in separate cells until they reached Earth. Downside of that one? Jackson would still be forced to be the Lo'taur. Unless Ba'al had grown tired of him already. Yeah, right. Ba'al hadn't dressed him up like jail bait to be bored with him in a couple of hours. Jack had a bad feeling that Ba'al had not even begun to really enjoy playing with his new slave.

Worst case scenario would be...

Jack didn't go there either.

Mister Positive, that was him. At least he kept telling his people so. 

He climbed off the bunk and sat down next to Daniel again. “Wanna guess what's for dinner?” He nudged his small sidekick. “Turkey sandwich? MRE? Oh, I know...” He snapped a finger before Daniel's face. “Coffee.” 

The magic word didn't do the trick. 

He said, “Chocolate walnut cookies, maybe. Or how about ice cream?” 

Daniel didn't stir.

And so they were back to staring at the wall together.

Fin  



End file.
